- Online gaming revenue in France skyrocketed in Q4 2018 to the highest level ever achieved in the regulated market.
- The rise in tournament fees during Q4 2018 marks the eighth consecutive quarter of growth.
- For the year, online poker enjoyed its second year of growth.
Online gaming revenue in France skyrocketed in Q4 2018 to the highest level ever achieved in the regulated market. In total, operators generated €347 million across all verticals. The record-breaking quarter was the result of a spike in sports betting.
Poker also had a good quarter, with all operators combining to post €64.5 million in revenue. Q4 2018 was the third highest amount in the history of the market and the second-highest of 2018, the first year in which operators in the country were able to combine their player pools with their player pools in Spain and Portugal.
Horse racing also posted a strong quarter bringing in €67 million in revenue.
On an annual basis, online poker posted its second consecutive year of rising revenue following five consecutive years of decline after the market first opened.
After cash games posted a surprising increase in their proportion of the total amount of poker revenue in Q3 2018, tournaments entry fees reclaimed some of that share by increasing from 66.1% in Q3 to 66.8% in Q4. As a point of comparison, in Q3 2012, when the regulator first distinguished between revenue from the two, cash was king with a 64% market share; tournaments brought in just 36%.
On an annual basis, online poker revenue in France actually underperformed in Q4. The €65.6 million collected in Q4 2017 was the first time that revenue in the final quarter of the year exceed that of the previous year. That boost means that even though the €64.5 million collected in Q4 2018 was the second most for a Q4 since 2013, it represents a slight downtick from 2017.
Entry fees from tournaments rose in Q4, helping to propel GGR in that category to its second-highest quarter, only trailing Q1 2018 when shared liquidity was first introduced in France. The rise in tournament fees during Q4 2018 marks the eighth consecutive quarter of growth.
Q4 also saw a massive 32% rise in the average buy-in of Sit & Go tournaments with players putting up €8.2 per game. The previous high of €7.2 per game occurred in Q4 2017.
