Denmark’s gamblers have increasingly shown a preference for online betting ever since the launch of a competitive, regulated market in 2012.

On Tuesday, Denmark’s Spillemyndigheden regulatory body released a study that tracked the nation’s slow but steady transition away from land-based gambling to locally licensed online gambling operators. Danes who gamble online also overwhelmingly prefer doing so via mobile devices rather than desktop computers.  

The study noted that Denmark’s total gambling revenue was DKK7.8b (US$1.24b) in 2012, the first year in which the state-owned Danske Spil was forced to adapt to online competition. Of that sum, around DKK2.4b was spent online, representing 31% of the total.

That online share has increased every year since, resulting in online spending of DKK5.2b out of a total DKK9.8m in 2019, giving online a 54% share of last year’s pie. Online officially overtook land-based gambling in 2018 with a 52% share.