The First Full-Year Of Regulation In Portugal Brings Positive Results

The First Full-Year Of Regulation In Portugal Brings Positive Results

Staff Writer
February 27, 2018
852
Decent results for gaming operators in Portugal
Portugal's online gaming market enjoys strong performance in 2017.

The first year of regulation in Portugal has ended with promising results.

The country's gambling watchdog, Serviço Regulaçao e Inspeçao de Jogos do Turismo de Portugal (SRIJ), has published its full-year report, revealing more than satisfying performance during 2017.

Strong Performance And High Taxes

According to the report, during the twelve months of 2017, the Portuguese gambling industry grossed €122.6 million. However, €54.2 million of this sum was taken by the government, mainly due to the country's tax regime of 12% on sports betting turnover.

Many believe such a strict tax policy will have to be changed since it's regarded as the biggest obstacle to the further expansion of Portugal's market.

The last quarter of the year saw a record-breaking performance, with €36.5 million in revenue being an all-time high. Seven locally-licensed operators took home recorded a year-on-year revenue increase of around €10 million, and a neat improvement of €7 when compared to the previous quarter.

Further Growth Expected This Year

During the three-month period ending on December 31, 2017, sports betting recorded a 26% rise in revenue over Q3, taking home €20.5 million. Since May 2016, and the launch of the Portuguese online gambling market, sports betting has been the leading source of income for the country's operators, with the vertical reaching €68.1 million in revenue during this year.

Online casino, including poker, grossed €54.4 million, with slots accounting for 45% of the entire revenue. Poker cash games were the second largest contributor at 19.7%, closely followed by French roulette at 19.2%, blackjack at 9.2% and poker tournaments at 6.7%.

However, there's more to come in 2018.

Further growth is expected thanks to the online poker market after the SRIJ recently greenlighted the shared liquidity model of poker pools. France and Spain are already a part of that pool, while Italy is getting ready to join in the coming period.

The shared liquidity has a lot of potential for growth, and could significantly impact the entire Portuguese market. We're pretty sure this will reflect on the results in the year's first quarter.

ABOUT CASINOS ONLINE

logo2

The team behind CasinosOnline consists of casino experts united in their desire to spread knowledge to a wider audience. The aim is, and always has been, to help even the most inexperienced players gain their footing in this exciting industry.

The enthusiastic members dedicate time and energy to the creation of potent and insightful content. With years of experience in various fields of this industry, our expert authors know precisely what to look for while searching for casino quality.

LEAVE A COMMENT

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Best Online Casino By Country

Although most casinos online are inherently international, some of them specialize for certain markets. If you’re looking for the best casino for your country or area, you’ll find it on this page. The CasinosOnline team reviews online casinos based on their target markets so players can easily find what they need.