How Europe's iGaming Companies are Exposed to--and Handling--the Coronavirus Outbreak How Europe's iGaming Companies are Exposed to--and Handling--the Coronavirus Outbreak
Key Takeaways
  • GVC makes £1.4 billion from retail and almost half its online revenue is through sports betting.
  • Almost four-fifths of Flutter revenue comes through sports across online and retail.
  • William Hill is similarly focused predominantly in sports.
  • TSG is better positioned, with all revenue coming online and the majority (62%) from poker and casino.
  • Kindred Group is entirely online, though with almost half coming from sports.
  • 888 is best positioned, with all its revenue online and only 17% from sports betting.

The outbreak of the coronavirus has had three obvious and immediate impacts on the European gambling industry that has transformed the outlooks of the world’s largest public gaming companies.

Firstly, with the cancelation of sporting events and horse racing fixtures around the world, operators with sports betting operations have effectively lost an entire product overnight.

Secondly, with lockdowns in effect in many European countries, sports retail locations have shut. Along with sports bets, many operators generate significant revenue from betting terminals. This has also ceased.

Thirdly, with millions of Europeans now at home, either working or temporarily out of a job, non-sports betting operations—particularly online poker—are seeing a surge in activity.

PRO takes a look at the statements made from Europe’s largest gambling firms in the wake of the COVID—19 pandemic, and how their portfolio is weighted. All of them generate sizeable revenues from sports; most have a significant footprint both in retail and online. All will see material impacts to their 2020 revenues.

GVC

The global gaming giant generated £3.6 billion in revenue in 2019, of which £2.2 billion (59%) came from online and £1.4 billion from retail (41%).

The retail segment is predominantly (80%) UK-based, through its Ladbrokes and Coral properties in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, following the megamerger of the company completed two years ago. It has a small European retail footprint covering Ireland, Belgium, Italy and Spain.