France’s regulated online betting and gaming market recorded a 6 per cent decline in gross gaming revenue (GGR) to €323m for the second quarter of 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sports betting was the worst affected segment due to the suspension of major sports, with GGR falling by 56 per cent year-on-year to €94m following a 57 per cent reduction in stakes to €513m.

Horse race betting GGR rose 33 per cent to €88m, despite the cessation of French horseracing until 11 May, with bettors able to continue betting on foreign horse races, pushing total horse racing betting stakes up 35 per cent to a quarterly record €362m.

Online poker saw the biggest growth in Q2 as GGR soared 126 per cent to a record quarterly high of €142m.

Q2 AND H1 2020 GROSS GAMING REVENUE COMPARISON (€)

Overall total active players fell by 9 per cent to 2,019,000 during the quarter, with average spend per active player down 32 per cent at €86.

Sports betting active players fell by 36 per cent to 1,093,000 in Q2, offsetting a 2 per cent increase in horse race betting actives to 319,000 and a 68 per cent improvement in poker actives to 1,064,000.

For the first half of 2020, total GGR across the market increased by 8 per cent to €758m, despite an 18 per cent drop in sports betting GGR to €356m. Horse race betting GGR rose 21 per cent to €162m, while poker GGR increased by 83 per cent to €239m.

Gaming Intelligence