Cyprus-licensed online sports betting operators handled more wagers but collected less revenue than their land-based counterparts in the country’s fiscal Q3.

Figures released by the National Betting Authority (NBA) of the Republic of Cyprus show Class A (retail) and Class B (online) licensed bookmakers generated combined betting handle of €190.7m in the three months ending September 30, 2019, a 12% improvement from Q3 2018, but their combined revenue fell 8% year-on-year to just under €22.1m.

The nine licensed online bookies saw their betting handle spike by 35% to €118.5m while the six land-based betting operators saw their handle slip 13% to €72.2m. However, online betting revenue fell 11% to €7.4m while retail revenue fell a more modest 6% to €14.7m.

The government claims a 10% share of betting revenue, so it has a vested interest in keeping online operators not holding a local license from catering to Cypriot gamblers. The NBA added another 968 domains to its online gambling blacklist in Q3, bringing the total up to 10,592.