Belgium's Gambling Revenue Sees Significant Growth
Yearly comparisons show online GGR surged by 18% to €944.6 million, while offline GGR rose by 15.2% to €758 million.
Belgium’s gambling regulator, the Commission des Jeux de Hasard (CJH), has reported a "gross gaming revenue (GGR) increase of 16.7% from the previous year," reaching €1.7 billion.
Online GGR surged by 18% to €944.6 million, while offline GGR rose by 15.2% to €758 million.
Casino GGR climbed 18.7% to €594.9 million. The online casino segment made up the largest share, "growing 20.2% to €455 million." The country’s nine land-based casinos earned €139.9 million, a 14.3% increase. Casino Austria International’s Grand Casino Brussels led the land-based segment with a GGR of €52.5 million, followed by Circus Casino Resort Namur with €22.5 million. Only Kindred’s Blankenberge Casino experienced a decline in revenue.
Online GGR fell for three operators, including Middelkerke Casino, which "had no active license for a year." Betsson’s Betfirst has since launched an online casino at Middelkerke Casino as part of a deal with Groupe Partouche.
Elsewhere, slots GGR rose 17.3% to €437 million. Online operations accounted for 57.7% of the segment’s revenue, "up 19.4% to €252 million." Live gaming GGR increased by 14.5% to €184.9 million.
The sports betting sector experienced slower growth compared to casinos, but GGR still "rose 8.4% to €390 million." Online GGR accounted for 60.9% of that, "up 12.8% to €237.6 million." Bookmakers' GGR rose marginally by 2.3% to €152.4 million. The regulator noted that ten of the 24 licensed operators accounted for 96% of live bets, with football being the most popular sport for betting, "representing 77.1% of all GGR bets."
