Gambling Accounts for 11 Percent of U.K. Consumers’ Monthly Leisure Spend
Raw bank transfer data from over 300,000 consumers, collected by the Department of Trust (DoT), has found gambling accounts for 10.69 percent of U.K. consumers’ leisure spend each month.
DoT CEO and founder Charles Cohen said the data suggests the majority of UK gamblers are generally doing so “as part of a healthy mix of different activities and socializing.”
According to the data, gambling is fifth on the list of what consumers are spending with their disposable income, after entertainment and media subscriptions (making up 12.29 percent of the total), dining out (11.81 percent), holiday and vacation expenses (11.67 percent ), and food deliveries (11.37 percent).
When broken down further by operator, the data showed McDonald’s was by far the most popular food delivery or takeaway consumed by gamblers in the U.K., with 87 percent of consumers reviewed frequenting the fast-food chain each month.
Tipico to Acquire Novomatic’s Admiral Austria Business
Tipico Group has signed an agreement to acquire a 100 percent stake in Atlas Group, the parent of Novomatic’s Admiral Austria business, to bolster its betting and gaming portfolio across German-speaking markets.
Admiral Austria, a betting operator and terminal supplier in Austria, will help extend and strengthen Tipico’s reach in the market, it said. The company also provides gaming terminals for the state lottery across the country.
Tipico Group CEO Axel Hefer said Admiral would also help the operator meet its goal of achieving dominance in German-speaking markets. No financial details of the deal have been released and it is currently subject to regulatory approvals.
Novomatic said the sale of Admiral would enable the gaming technology provider to focus further on international expansion. It has been investing heavily in its U.S. growth of late, installing a new CEO in December.
French Operators Ordered to Reduce Promotional Spend in 2025
French gambling regulator l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) has ordered top-tier online operators to review and reduce promotional spending plans in 2025 after revealing this is expected to rise by 11 percent in the coming year.
Each year, licensed operators in France are required to submit their plans and budget for upcoming promotional spend to the ANJ. The regulator then considers the plans in terms of whether they may encourage gambling harm or appeal to minors.
The ANJ has examined the 2025 promotional strategies of France’s 16 licensed operators as well as those of the La Française des Jeux (FDJ) and horse-racing focused Pari-Mutuel Urbain (PMU) monopolies. It has also called on the four biggest operators to moderate their sponsorship spending to limit the impact it could have on problem gamblers and minors. Updated budgets are to be presented to the regulator in February.
Based on the ANJ’s evaluation overall n promotional investments across the 16 licensees were expected to rise 11 percent in 2025 to $724 million. Investment in player bonusing will increase 11 percent, representing 58.5 percent of the sector’s allocation for promotions.
Bet365 Returns to Profit in FY2023-24
Bet365 has returned to profitability in its 2023-24 full-year earnings, as the company cites product improvements and US expansion as performance drivers.
A Companies House filing outlining the operator’s performance for the 12 months to March 31, 2024 reported 2023-24 financial year group revenue of $4.65 billion. This marked a 9 percent increase on the operator’s 2022-23 revenue of $4.2 billion.
The earnings report said Bet365’s betting and gaming revenue had also increased 9 percent year-on-year to $4.55 billion. Its football club and facilities segment, which included Stoke City Football Club at the time, recorded $29.3 million in revenue.
Looking at the bottom line, profit before tax for the betting and gaming segment was $770.9 million. However, the Stoke City FC business suffered a $37.3 million loss, more than the $5.3 million loss it reported in 2023.
