Denmark Reports Market Decline for First Time
The Danish gambling regulator Spillemyndigheden has reported an 8.7 per cent decline in gross gambling revenue (GGR) year-on-year for 2020 due to covid-19.
GGR for 2020 was DKK6 billion (£701.2 million /€806.7 million /$966 million), down from DKK6.57 billion in 2019.
It is the first time the market has reduced in size since it was regulated in 2019.
However, it was also the first time that online casino pipped sports betting as the main revenue source for the market, with online growing 4.5 per cent to DKK2.45bn.
The regulator credited the change in revenue patterns to players moving to igaming while they were unable to use land-based facilities.
However, Spillemyndigheden also noted that on average online casino has grown by 13 per cent each year since regulation in 2012, so this was still markedly less impressive performance.
Spillemyndigheden director Anders Dorph said: “One might have expected that there would have been a marked increase in online casino games when the physical gaming halls and casinos were closed down and the opportunities to bet on sports were severely limited.”
Danish sports betting revenue declined 8.9 per cent year-on-year to DKK2.29bn, with retail slot machine revenue down 29.3% to DKK986.0m. Unsurprisingly, revenue at land-based casinos was also down significantly, by 31.7% to DKK239.0m.
