In 2022, the Austrian gambling and sports betting market gained more than in the pre-pandemic period. According to current data from a market study conducted by a market research institute, the online sector was the largest gaming segment for the first time.
Even last year gambling and sports betting turned out to be very popular. According to research, gross gaming and betting revenues, i.e. wagers from games and bets minus paid winnings, increased in 2022 by 21,7% compared to the previous year to around 2,1 billion euros. The revenues of the gambling and sports betting providers were around 100 million euros higher than the 2019 result.
Above all, the land-based sector is growing, which includes, in addition to land-based casinos and sports bets, also the business of gaming machines outside the casinos. Overall, the quotas increased by 62,3% compared to the previous year, settling at 667 million euro. “The increase can be explained on the one hand by the fact that commercial operations were only possible to a limited extent during the pandemic. On the other hand, games with an entertainment factor were back in fashion last year,” says study author Andreas Kreutzer. In casinos gross gaming revenue increased by approximately 95%, in slot machines by nearly 51% and gross land-based sports betting revenue by 34% over the previous year.
The fact that in 2022 the sector earned more than three years earlier is mainly due to the online sector. Online gambling grew significantly in the first year of the coronavirus. In 2022, revenues from online gaming and betting increased by 22,1% compared to the previous year, reaching 703 million euros. For the first time, the online sector has become the largest gaming segment in Austria.
“EuroMillions” down
Recently there have been slight losses in lottery gambling. Compared to the previous year, revenues less winnings paid in 2022 decreased by 2,1% to 699 million euros. The decline is mainly due to “EuroMillionen”. Apparently - according to the researchers - games with a high entertainment component are on the increase but there is still a hard core of players looking for the big win.
