Online gambling in Portugal grows almost 50% in the first quarter of 2020 despite the drop in sports betting
The sports betting segment with a decline marked by the Covid-19 crisis has been the least important in the rebound in online gaming activity in the first quarter of 2020 in Portugal. Total volume in betting games grew around 47.5% compared to the same period in 2019, an evolution associated with the fact that six more licenses were granted to operators.
In its quarterly statement, the Portuguese Ministry of Economy and Digital Transition announced the data collected by the Portuguese Tourism Games Regulation and Inspection Service (SRIJ), noting that the operators "showed increasing interest in offering games of chance legal and regulated in Portugal and as a result of the new licenses granted at the end of 2019, a continuation of the positive evolution started in the last quarter of 2019 was found.
In detail, analyzing the monthly variation during the first quarter of 2020, there is a decrease in February of around 6.4% and, in March, an increase of around 16.6%, thus verifying that the market and the players behave within the usual parameters and in line with the evolution of online gambling since its regulation in Portugal ", maintains the information provided by the Government.
The report also emphasizes the fact that the demand for online gambling in the regulated market is "very demonstrative of the fact that players identify this as a legal means that offers guarantees of reliability and security, where they can place their bets on safely, securely and confidently and with a regulatory body (the SRIJ) that they can turn to, if necessary. ”" This is therefore evidence that the primary objective underlying the regulation of online exploitation in Portugal of games and betting will have been achieved, "maintains the document published on Saturday, May 2.
In sports betting, although the profit of the operators grew moderately, the volume of money wagered suffered a decrease of almost 36 million. However, casino games grew significantly, leaving their distribution in the market as follows:
