We have seen numbers go up in a lot of markets over the last couple of years and playing at online casinos is clearly more popular than ever. Considering the amount of casinos and the quality games available, I fully understand it.
Play On the Go
Being able to play on the go on your phone wherever you are and whenever you feel like it, no matter what time it is, makes it so convenient and easy to implement into your everyday life.
Portugal is the latest market to report increasing numbers. According to Portugal’s Gaming Regulation and Inspection Service (SRIJ), the first 3 months of 2023 showed a solid increase of 24.8% compared to Q1 2022.
Portugal’s Gaming Regulation and Inspection Service (SRIJ)
Breakdown of Revenue
If we’re talking numbers, Portuguese online betting and gaming generated €196.4 million in Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) during Q1 this year. This is also a slight increase from €195.3 million that was reported from Q4 of 2022.
To break those numbers down even further, here’s the split
- Sports Betting – €85.7 million
- Other casino activities – €110.7 million
Porto vs Benfica
Football is King
I don’t think it’s a surprise that football is the sport that attracts the most attention from players. Football is massive in Portugal and this time of year provides a lot of interesting games to bet on, not just from domestic leagues but from all across Europe. The two biggest clubs are of course Benfica and Porto.
Ronaldo in Al-Nassr colors
Bye Bye Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo might not be playing in any of the big European teams after having packed up and made the move to Al-Nassr FC, in the Saudi league. However, he is still very much a part of the National team. The sport itself is as strong as ever so there’s plenty to bet on for the people of Portugal.
To give you a hint regarding just how dominant football is, it represented as much as 70.6% of all sporting bets placed during Q1. Basketball and tennis are the two runner ups and combined for a very respective 25% of the sports betting pie.
Portugal’s Self-exclusion Initiative
One area that has been an important initiative from the Portugal gaming authorities is responsible gaming. It is an important factor and vital for the industry to continue helping those in need of help and to keep players safe.
SRIJ reported that as many as 166,300 players had registered themselves on the Portuguese self-exclusion list by the end of March 2023.
Land Based Gambling is Slowing Down
While the online action seems to be full steam ahead, the GGR from land based gaming operations reported €65.9 million during the first quarter of 2023. Compared to the last quarter of last year, the period does show a slight dip by 1.7%.
What’s included in land based gaming operations, you may wonder? This covers non-banked games, meaning poker tournaments and Bingo, which generated around €1 million.
The flip side to the land based casino coin is gaming machines, bringing in a very respectable €50.9 million in Gross Gaming Revenue.
Let’s Keep It Going
Seeing the gambling numbers go up is a positive thing and as I mentioned, something that’s being reported from other countries as well. Earlier today I read some news regarding the development of the sports betting market slowly gaining steam in Puerto Rico.
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Let’s keep this thing going!
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