The latest data has revealed that gaming in Portugal has generated €3,5 billion in 2017, which represents an increase of 11% when compared to the previous year.
Also, 2017 set a new record when it comes to instant lotteries, casino machines, and online sports betting.
Record-Breaking Results
Net sales of the state-run charity Santa Casa de Misericordia de Lisboa (SCML) during the twelve-month period ending on December 31, 2017, stood at €805 million.
The figures revealed showed betting has increased by 9.1%, reaching a record-breaking €3,028 million.
Instant games accounted for almost 50% of the total, and the biggest boost came from the sports betting division of SCML which was around 30%.
Euromillions, together with M1lhão ended up in the third place, recording a rise of 5.1% in 2017.
Other games recorded a decline in sales and the report stated it had coincided „with the offer of new more attractive products“.
A Growing Market
The country’s gambling regulator Serviço de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos (SRIJ) has recently revealed that online gambling and betting activity generated €122.5 million. Most of this value comes from sports betting, mainly football, which accounted for 77% of the total, while online slots accounted for 45%.
There are seven companies with 11 licenses currently offering their services to customers in Portugal. Online operators can acquire four different types of licenses, for fixed odds sports betting, pari-mutuel and fixed odds horse racing bets, bingo, and games of chance.
Group Estoril runs three of 11 casinos in this country – Estoril, Lisbon and Póvoa – and now has extended its business into the online sector. According to the 2017 figures, the Lisbon Casino generated €83.6 million, Estoril reached €63.6 million, while revenue for Póvoa stood at €44.5 million. Povoa was the only venue to record a drop during this period.
In the meantime, the other casinos in Portugal generated €311 million, which is a year-on-year increase of 5%. Bingo hall revenue went up by 15%, with revenue reaching €57 million and bingo accounting for only 1.6% of the total.
Santa Casa de Misericordia de Lisboa is an exclusive organizer of lotteries, pari-mutuel lotto, and sports betting, landbased pari-mutuel horse betting and fixed odds sports betting in Portugal.
