Online Casino Grows in Italy, While Sports Betting is Still Recovering

The online casino market in Italy saw its revenue go up, while sports betting vertical is yet to improve.

Italy has recently revealed the latest online gambling figures, and while the sports betting vertical is still recovering from the suspension of sporting events, online casino recorded a rise in revenue during May.

According to available information, total revenue amounted to €169.6 million, which represents an improvement of 20.7% when compared to the same month of 2019.

Online Casino Leads the Way

Online casino was the main driving factor behind the growth, as it generated €105.5 million in revenue. That’s a year-on-year rise of 50.9% and a new monthly record. The previous one was set in April when the segment earned €98.3 million.

PokerStars continues to lead the country’s online casino market, despite the fact its share dropped from 14.2% to 13.9%. Sisal and Lottomatica are far behind, accounting for 8.6% and 7.4% of all revenue respectively.

888 Holdings went down from second place to fifth, with a share of 6.8%. Snai also saw its revenue decrease, ending the month on 7.0%

Poker tournaments generated €14.4 million in revenue, which is a staggering year-on-year improvement of 128.9%. However, when compared to April, it’s a decline of 30.1%. At the same time, revenue from cash games dropped, though €8.8 million this vertical generated represents an annual rise of 74.8%. PokerStars is the undisputed market leader, outperforming all of its competitors for each product offered.

Sports Betting Improves

Sports betting vertical is finally beginning to recover after a dismal April and a low of €20.9 million in revenue. That’s the worst result the segment recorded since February 2017.

In May, sports betting generated €35.4 million in revenue, improving by nearly 70% when compared to April, but down by 37.1% from May last year. As country’s betting shops remain closed, the retail posted a €13,693 loss during this period. Betting shops in Italy are scheduled to reopen on July 15.

Bet365 leads the sports betting market with a 17.6% share of the total revenue. Snaitech is the second-placed operator on 13.9%, while Sisal is close behind on 12.1%. SK365 is the only remaining company with a double-digit share (10.9%).