Online Sports Betting: Facts and figures dismantle prejudices

With Euro 2024 and the Olympic Games approaching, the French Association of Online Gambling Companies (AFJEL) is keen to correct some persistent misconceptions about the online sports betting sector.

Misconception 1: Euro 2024 and the Olympic Games will lead to an explosion in betting

The reality: 82% of players will bet less or even as much during these events as during previous competitions. During the last World Cup, the average weekly stake per player was €8.

Misconception 2: Online betting companies profit enormously from the €1 billion in advertised bets

The truth: Gross gaming revenue (GGR) is a better indicator of the economic activity of online betting companies than the total amount of bets.

Of the estimated €1 billion in bets, the turnover for the online sports betting sector is only €40 million. This amounts to 4% of the total amount of bets, which means an average of €2.5 million per license holder (16 in total).

To illustrate: Online betting offices keep less than €0.60 of €10 in bets.

Misconception 3: Match fixing is beneficial for online betting shops

In reality: Match fixing leads to economic losses for the operators, who are also victims of sports competition manipulation.

Online betting houses have a vested interest in safeguarding the hashtag #ethics and #integrity of sports competitions. They actively contribute to detecting anomalies when taking bets on suspicious competitions and immediately suspend them.

They work closely with regulators, magistrates and sports federations to identify attempts at manipulation on a national and international scale.

The AFJEL emphasizes the importance of a transparent and responsible sector that actively contributes to protecting the integrity of sport.