Portugal’s online gambling market is experiencing record growth once again, according to its chief regulator, the Serviço de Regulação Inspeção de Jogos (SRIJ). The authority reported this industry managed to generate a revenue of 159.1m in Q3 alone, an increase of 39.9% year-on-year.
Record-breaking numbers are largely the result of the rapid expansion of the online casino sector. Namely, it grew 38.5% year-on-year to 89.8m. In fact, Q3 was the fifth quarter in a row that saw online casinos reach new heights.
Portugal Online Casinos — Games Driving the Growth
According to SRIJ, players wagered more than €2.48bn on online casino games during the third quarter. Compared to the same period last year, the numbers indicate an increase of 39.1%. Slots dominated the market, constituting more than 80% of all wagers at online casinos.
The second most popular game category was French roulette, which accounted for 7.6% of all bets, followed by blackjack, which took 4.9% of total wagers, and finally, Banca Française, with 3.6%.
Sports Betting in Portugal — Where Does It Stand?
Sports betting had its fair share of success in Q3 as well. This vertical generated revenue of €69.3m, a 40.1% increase from last year’s results. The total annual revenue was €348.2m, 17.3% higher than the year before. However, comparing the numbers with Q1 and Q2, the third quarter was slightly behind schedule.
The most popular betting sport in Portugal was football, comprising more than 78% of all wagers in Q3, followed by tennis which made up 17.1% of all bets. All other sports accounted for 4.9% of all bets. The popularity of football betting is further fueled by the fact that out of 771,300 active players in the market, 36.1% bet on sports only.
Offshore Sites Banned
During the period, the SRIJ had its hands full dealing with illegal betting websites. The agency ordered internet service providers to block 63 illegal gambling sites and mandated 60 operators to shut down their websites. Moreover, they had more than 130 online videos promoting these illegal betting sites removed to stop them from misleading the players.
