One of the countries with the highest gross for the gambling market in 2021 was France. The French gambling regulator, l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) announced that the market made €10.70 billion in 2021. The gross revenue was 7% higher compared to the previous year, which was severely impacted by Covid. Despite the rebound, the revenue performance was still lower than how it performed in 2019, when it hit €11.1 billion.
There are only two organizations that enjoy exclusive rights for iGaming in France, including casino online services. These are the FDJ and the PMU. These two and the land-based casinos spread throughout the country accounted for a big chunk of this revenue, which was at €8.6 billion.
The FDJ or La Française des Jeux is the lottery operator of France. The overall wager it took in 2021 was €18.9 billion. This revenue was higher by 18.9% compared to instant games or scratch card games, which made €8.98 billion in the same year. Sports betting, on the other hand, closed the year with a revenue of €4.21 billion. Despite the high earnings, one must account that FDJ spent €414 million on marketing for its sports betting arm.
On the other hand, PMU or Pari Mutual Urbain, took €6.0 billion in horse racing wagers in 2021. It was a good performance as this revenue marks a 13.2% increase from the previous year. PMU’s online gaming made €2.2 billion, and it was also an indication that the company’s revenues are back on track, as this figure is 29.4% higher than how it was in 2020. Out of this revenue, €1.36 billion came from sports betting. The combined earnings of PMU’s horse racing and poker were €275 million.
For land casinos, the gross revenue was €1.08 billion. This revenue is 41% lower compared to the previous year, as France shut down the casinos from November 2020 to October 2021.
American Market Still at the Top
Meanwhile, Las Vegas is still in the picture, as it grossed $7 billion in gambling. Atlanta City comes close in the American market, as it made $2.6 billion. Chicago, on the other hand, gets third place, closing at $2 billion in revenue.
America is still the number one in the world as far as gambling revenues are concerned. The gross for 2021 was a staggering $53 billion. This revenue broke the 2019 record, which was only at $43 billion, according to the American Gaming Association.
The high revenue was brought about by the changing landscape of the gaming industry. Many states have opened their arms to embrace online casino gambling, and they have passed new legislation allowing iGaming companies to flourish.
A high revenue such as this shows that there is demand in the country for entertainment. Politicians and gambling experts recognize that people are open to mobile gaming, and a huge part of this financial success was brought about by the introduction of online casinos.
The traditional brick-and-mortar gaming sector also experienced a recovery in the past year. Slot machines and table games made $44.94 bln, which was a 6.6% increase compared to 2019, prior to the pandemic.
Sports betting has gained traction in America, and it is accelerating really fast. Its revenue was $57.22 billion, which was a 165% jump from 2020. The demand came from Nevada, New Jersey and other markets like Pennsylvania. New legislations paved the way to open new markets in the country.
These are:
- Connecticut
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- South Dakota
- Wyoming
- Virginia
Connecticut and Michigan made a big contribution to the country’s performance. The combined gross for these two states in 2021 was $8.00 billion.
Although it is true that there is a boom in the mobile gambling industry today, the truth is that land-based casinos are still supreme. Most of the revenue for the gambling industry came from in-person casinos. Overall, land-based games like slots, table games and physical sportsbooks earned $45.62 billion. It comprised about 85% of the total gambling revenue, and the rest came from online gaming. Slot machines are still the top revenue generator for casinos.
Sports betting is on the rise. Last year, the total wagers for sports were $57.22 bln. It was higher than what it was in 2020. According to analysts, the growth was due to the country opening seven new markets. All these markets hit an annual wagering record, except Delaware.
Right now, more than 100 million Americans can legally place a bet in 30 states. Of these 30 states, New Jersey is the top sports betting state in its second year. It generated $815 million in 2021. Other states like Illinois, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Michigan are next to New Jersey.
