Portugal saw strong increases in online gaming revenue in 2018, taking in €152.1 million in 2018, a 24 percent increase over 2017.
Sports betting led the way taking in €78.9 million, up from €68.1 million in 2017, according to figures from Portugal’s gaming regulator Serviço Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos do Turismo de Portugal (SRIJ).
Sports betting saw much if that increase during the FIFA World Cup football tournament, which took place from June 14 to July 15. In the second quarter of 2018, World Cup betting accounted for 74.4 percent all sports wagers, with revenue at €20.5 million, the regulator said.
Online casino gaming revenue also increased from €54.4 million in 2017 to €73.2 million, an increase of 34 percent.
The SRIJ also said that by the end of 2018, a total of 31,500 consumers had opted to self-exclude from gambling and about 2.7 percent of all players have now opted to self-exclude.
The regulator also announced that as of the end of 2018, a total of 338 illegal gambling operators had been told to cease operations in the country. Internet service providers were instructed to block 270 sites that, despite warnings from the SRIJ, had continued to operate in the country.
