Svenska Spel revenue, profit fall despite online gambling surge

Sweden’s former gambling monopoly Svenska Spel suffered an overall revenue decline in Q4 2018 despite double-digit online gains.

Figures released Wednesday show the state-owned Svenska Spel generated revenue of just under SEK2.4b (US$260.5m) in the three months ending December 31, 2018, a 3.7% decline from Q4 2017. The company’s Q4 operating profit was similarly down 3.1% to SEK1.23b.

Svenska Spel’s mainstay lottery division was essentially flat at SEK1.32b but Sports & Casino division fell over 7% to SEK573m and the Casino Cosmopol & Vegas unit was down more than 10% to SEK491m.

The company’s online operations were the highlight of Q4, with overall online revenue shooting up 14% to SEK774m, pushing online’s share of overall revenue up five points to 32%. Mobile revenue grew even faster (26%) in Q4, pushing mobile’s share of overall revenue to 23%.