The Swedish gaming industry reported a 1.4 percent decrease in gaming revenues for the first quarter of 2020, according to regulator Spelinspektionen and the Swedish Tax Agency.
The revenue figure—SEK5.90bn (US$613.3 million)—was the lowest for any quarter since the regulated market opened in January 2019. Online revenue grew but revenue in land-based sectors or those relying on retail sales fell substantially due to the effects of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
The vast majority of revenue came from online betting and gaming, with the channel’s contribution growing 5.2% year-on-year to SEK3.66 billion.
Revenue from national lotteries operated by Svenska Spel’s Tur division and gaming machine halls, run under the Vegas brand, fell 20.6 percent to SEK1.13 billion.
Land-based casinos, operated by Svenska Spel under the Casino Cosmopol brand, generated revenue of SEK196 million, down 16.2 percent.
Nonprofit lotteries generated SEK817 million for the quarter, down 2.5 percent, while non-profit bingo hall revenues decreased 10.3 percent to SEK817 million. SEK52 million came from restaurant casinos, up 8.3 percent.
