Market Monitor: France Q2 2018
Key Takeaways
  • In Q2 2018, online poker in France grew for the sixth consecutive quarter, up 2.4% year-over-year.
  • Tournament poker continued its growth streak with revenues experiencing year-over-year growth for the 13th consecutive quarter, rising 8.7% over Q2 2017.

In Q2 2018, online poker in France grew for the sixth consecutive quarter, up 2.4% year-over-year. In total, gross gaming revenue from online poker reached €60 million, representing the best second quarter since 2013.

Tournament poker continued its growth streak with revenues experiencing year-over-year growth for the 13th consecutive quarter, rising 8.7% over Q2 2017. Cash games saw their biggest annual decrease in almost two years as GGR from the games dropped 8.2%.

The buy-in amounts for sit and gos continued to outperform those for multi-table tournaments with the average SNG buy-in coming in at €6 while the average MTT buy-in dipped to its lowest point at just above €4. These figures illustrate the trend for players in France to favor the shorter duration of SNGs over the longer duration of the MTTs.

The growth in online poker aligns with the growth in total igaming bets placed in France during the quarter with all verticals notching year-over-year gains. Sports betting performed particularly well gaining 37% over Q2 2017 on the popularity of the World Cup.

Horse racing regained its lead over online poker in Q2 as the second highest GGR generator behind sports betting.

Overall, online gambling revenue in France across all verticals reached €302 million, the highest amount on record in the market and nearly 34% higher than the amount recorded in Q2 2017.