Portugal’s gaming sector continues to break growth records. The country’s Gaming Regulation and Inspection Service (SRIJ) released the latest quarterly report on the gaming industry, including online betting, SBC News reported January 8.
It reported that 17 operators in the country, as of the third quarter of 2023, have 30 licenses for sports betting and online casinos.
The sector raised €215.3 million ($236,259,455) in gross revenue, an increase of €9.4 million from the previous quarter, although sports betting experienced a decrease of €2.1million during that same quarter.
Sports betting volume increased 12.1 percent to €390.5 million, with soccer as the most popular sport being wagered on, and accounting for 71.4 percent of all sports wagers. Second was tennis, at 22 percent.
Online gaming increased 47.2 percent year over year, with most of that increase coming from machine games, e.g. French Roulette and French Bank.
The report noted that gross revenue from brick and mortar gambling rose to €76.1 million in Q3, 14 percent higher than the previous quarter and 7.8 percent higher than Q3 a year before.
SRIJ is working with the industry to create a safe responsible gaming landscape comparable to other members of the EU—including a way for players to self-exclude for up to five years.
