Italy’s sports betting growth slowed dramatically in 2018

Italy’s regulated sports betting market revenue came in just shy of $1.5b in 2018, although the pace of growth slowed dramatically from 2017.

Figures released Monday by Italy’s Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM) gambling regulatory body show the country’s licensed sports betting operators generated revenue of €1.484b in 2018, up 10.8% over 2017’s result. Betting turnover totaled €10.9b, up €1b from 2017.

Last year’s land-based wagering revenue totaled €840m, up around 7% from 2017. Online betting revenue came in just over €643m, a nearly 16% rise over 2017. However, online betting revenue grew by 44.5% in 2017, and that year didn’t have the wind-assist that 2018 enjoyed courtesy of the FIFA World Cup, suggesting that the market may be nearing its peak.

The annual growth figure wasn’t helped by December’s results, which saw overall sports revenue slip 55% year-on-year to €96.4m thanks to a rash of punter-friendly results. Land-based betting was off nearly two-thirds to €49.4m while online betting fell 43% to €47m. Bet365 reclaimed the online betting crown with a 17.3% share, while November’s king Planetwin365 slipped to second with 14.8% and Snaitech ranked third with 11.9%.