Allez Pallez! French FDJ Lottery Operator Records Impressive 12-Point Growth in Q3
With the latest edition of the French-invented Football World Cup coming up in Qatar, and a near-12 percentage points rise in year-on-year revenue over Q3, you’d be forgiven for allowing France’s national Française des Jeux (FDJ) lottery and iGaming sports operator a celebratory glass—or bottle–of champagne.
“The strong momentum recorded by the group at the beginning of the year continued into the third quarter,” said an ebullient FDJ Président Stéphane Pallez, who is regularly voted one of the top 100 business leaders in the world.
“We are particularly pleased with the return of our point-of-sale network to a healthy business dynamic, with quarterly stakes up by six per cent.
“Our digital business continues to attract a growing number of players, almost five million. The good performance expected for the full year reflects the relevance of our strategy, which is based on these two distribution channels, and confirms our long-term responsible growth model.”
FDJ, which has been transformed by Pallez from a stuffy ‘statist’ public company into a dynamic iGaming operation in the last eight-years, has now increased its full-year revenue and earnings forecast after reporting an 11.9 per cent, year-on-year, rise in revenue in the third quarter of its FY2022, ending September 30.
Point-of-sale stakes in Q3 were up six per cent in the period to €4.3 billion (£3.73bn/US$4.17bn). Within the digital division, stakes rose 35 per cent to €643 million (£558.11m/US$624.79m), representing 13 per cent of total placements during the quarter.
Mega Jackpots
Revenue from FDJ’s still-dominant lottery games rose 14 per cent, compared to Q3 2021, generating €478 million (£414.89m/US$464.46m).
Draw games stakes, driven by a cluster of mega EuroMillions jackpots in excess of €75 million (£65.09m/US$72.87m), climbed 17 per cent to €1.63 billion (£1.41bn/US$1.58bn).
Instant games stakes—please note Allwyn, the UK’s new lottery operator–increased by seven per cent to €2.38 billion (£2.07bn/US$2.32bn), thanks to innovative marketing and compelling new games.
Meantime, revenue from sports wagering during the quarter remained stable at €97 million (£84.19m/US$94.25m).
But Pallez, like betting industry leaders pretty much everywhere, is expecting a big boost from the upcoming FIFA World Cup that kicks-off in Qatar this November 20.
Revenue for the full year is set to be eight per cent higher than 2021, ahead of a previous forecast of five per cent, said Madame Président, with EBITDA also predicted to rise to 24 per cent.
Allez FDJ. Allez Pallez!
