Sports betting drives record Portugal online gambling revenue in Q4
The Q4 total, covering the three months to 31 December 2024, surpasses the previous year by 42%. It is also 21.3% more than the existing record of €266.3 million, set in Portugal in Q3 of 2024.
While overall revenue hit an all-time high, data published yesterday (18 March) by regulator Serviço de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos (SRIJ) also reveals record performances across both the sports betting and online casino segments.
Casino generated the most revenue, but sports betting stole the show in Q4 with revenue rocketing year-on-year.
Sports betting revenue almost doubles in Q4
Taking a closer look at sports betting, revenue here hit €138.3 million, a year-on-year rise of 90%. This also comfortably beats the €91.2 million reported in Q3 by 51.7%.
The increase comes despite player spending remaining level. Consumers bet €533.7 million during Q4, compared to €532.1 million in the previous year. This was, however, some way ahead of €483.4 million in Q3.
Of this, 75% was spent betting on football. A further 10.5% was wagered on tennis, 10.2% on basketball and 4.3% other sports.
Online casino revenue up 19.5%
Turning to online casino, revenue here reached €184.6 million. Another new record, this is 19.5% higher than Q4 of 2023 and 5.5% ahead of Q3.
Total spending on online casino hit €5.15 billion in the quarter, up 21.1% from the previous year and 5.6% more than Q3.
Again, online slots proved the most popular with players, drawing 80.2% of all wagers. The next most popular was dice game French bank with a 5.4% share, then French roulette at 5.3% and blackjack 4.8%.
Total active players in Portugal tops 4.7 million
Alongside financial data, the SRIJ also published information about player behaviour. In total, 4.7 million people gambled online at some point during the fourth quarter, up 15% year-on-year.
Some 614,800 new registrations were reported during the period, a 15% increase on 2023. The majority of these were aged between 18 and 24, although the most popular age group for online gambling remains 25 to 34.
As for self-exclusion, 16,200 opted out of online gambling in Q4. This meant that by the end of the quarter, a total of 292,400 people in Portugal have self-excluded.
In addition, the regulator issued 41 closure notifications to websites deemed to be operating in breach of regulations.
Mixed news from the land-based sector
In terms of land-based gambling, gross revenue climbed 12.5% year-on-year to €72.6 million. This, however, falls 4.3% short of the total for Q3.
Slot machines generated €53.9 million of all revenue in Q4, an increase of 4.8% from last year. All other revenue – €18.8 million, up 36.9% – was split across casino-style and bingo games.
American roulette drew the most revenue in this latter category at €6.9 million, although all areas within this market saw year-on-year growth.