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Annual financial report of the Gaming Commission

The Gaming Commission recently published its latest annual report with market data for 2023.

This financial report provides an overview of the market situation of gambling in Belgium. The concept of GGR is central to this report, which corresponds to the gross turnover from gambling.

The Gambling market in figures

20192020202120222023Δ ’22 – ’23
Offline€ 713,028,176€ 373,237,032€ 397,094,901€ 658,148,294€ 758,044,565+ 15.18 %
Online€ 466,002,182€ 595,858,353€ 780,073,967€ 800,302,574€ 944,583,880+ 18.03 %
Total€ 1,179,030,359€ 969,095,385€ 1,177,168,868€ 1,458,450,868€ 1,702,628,445+ 16.74 %

In 2023, the GGR of the gaming sector in Belgium, all licenses together, represented just over 1.7 billion euros (divided at a rate of 55.48% for online games of chance and 44.52% for offline games of chance).

Below we will go into more detail about the division between offline and online gambling.

Offline market distribution based on GGR 2023

Offline20192020202120222023Δ ’22 – ’23
Casinos€ 121,395,563€ 54,947,359€ 58,870,424€ 122,418,293€ 139,922,80914.30%
Gaming halls€ 163,158,985€ 81,062,756€ 92,307,325€ 161,495,694€ 184,940,67314.52%
Cafe Games€ 207,715,367€ 113,670,036€ 112,309,457€ 217,156,784€ 270,964,70424.78%
Betting shops€ 220,758,262€ 123.556.882€ 133,607,695€ 157,077,523€ 162,216,3793.27%
Total€ 713,028,176€ 373,237,032€ 397,094,901€ 658,148,294€ 758,044,565+ 15.18%

The café gaming sector largely dominates with 270 million euros and an increase of 24% compared to 2022.

However, these figures are not entirely correct as café operators only have to report their stakes to the Gaming Commission.

The other sectors continued to make progress. They have fully recovered from the covid period, with the exception of betting shops (License F) which, despite a 3% increase, remain below pre-covid figures.

Online gambling market division based on GGR 2023

Online20192020202120222023Δ ’22 – ’23
Online Casinos€ 205,125,173€ 277,917,571€ 326,437,003€ 378,626,809€ 454,998,74220.17 %
Online Dice Casinos€ 124,945,491€ 156,782,038€ 237,896,515€ 211,044,961€ 252,010,69619.41 %
Bookmakers€ 135,931,519€ 161,158,744€ 215,740,449€ 210,630,804€ 237,574,44112.79 %
Total€ 466,002,182€ 595,858,353€ 780,073,967€ 800,302,574€ 944,583,880+ 18.03 %

When it comes to the distribution of online turnover, casino websites are still in the lead (with a share of 48.17% of total turnover). In second place are the websites of automatic gaming rooms (26.68%), closely followed by online betting (25.15%). This distribution is similar to that of 2022 (and previous years).

All offline and online sectors have made progress this year with pub games such as bingo and low stakes machines up almost 25% and online casinos and gaming halls up an average of 20%.

Distribution by sector

Evolution and distribution of casino activity

GGR20192020202120222023Δ ’22 – ’23
Offline€ 121,395,563€ 54,947,359€ 58,870,424€ 122,418,293€ 139,922,809+ 14.30 %
Online€ 205,125,173€ 277,917,571€ 326,437,003€ 378,626,809€ 454,998,742+ 20.17 %
Totaal€ 326,520,736€ 332,864,930€ 385,307,427€ 501,045,102€ 594,921,551+ 18.74 %

The turnover of class A casinos increased by 18.74% compared to 2022 (more precisely: +14.30% for land-based casinos and +20.17% for their online websites).

Breakdown of the online/offline gambling market based on GGR 2023.

The online sector is recording a 20% increase.

The market share in Belgium for class A casinos is as follows:

Online gambling market share per casino based on the 2023 GGR

Comparison of market share 2022 with 2023 per operator:

Evolution and distribution of automatic playroom activity

In 2023, there were 175 gaming halls and 49 online gaming hall websites in Belgium.

GGR20192020202120222023Δ ’22 – ’23
Offline€ 163,158,985€ 81,062,756€ 92,307,325€ 161,495,694€ 184,940,673+ 14.52 %
Online€ 124,945,491€ 156,782,038€ 237,896,515€ 211,044,961€ 252,010,696+ 19.41 %
Total€ 288,104,475€ 237,844,794€ 330,203,840€ 372,540,655€ 436,951,369+ 17.29 %

The turnover of class B casinos increased by 14.52% between 2022 and 2023. This is again above the level of 2019. The turnover from online activities increased by 19.41% compared to 2022. At the moment, this market is twice as large as in 2019.

Online/offline market breakdown based on 2023 turnover

The top 10 online gaming sites generate 80% of online revenue related to B-licenses, with the top 3 sites alone accounting for over 50% of total revenue.

According to Gambling Club research, the top 4 online gaming rooms are, not necessarily in this order: Napoleon Games, Circus, Peppermill Casino and 777.

Evolution and distribution of activity of betting operators

GGR20192020202120222023Δ ’22 – ’23
Offline€ 206,806,513€ 119,004,869€ 129,464,725€ 149,068,953€ 152,449,793+ 2.27 %
Online€ 135,931,519€ 161,158,744€ 215,740,449€ 210,630,804€ 237,574,441+ 12.79 %
Totaal€ 342,738,032€ 280,163,613€ 345,205,175€ 359,699,757€ 390,024,234+ 8.43 %

In 2023, betting shops generated 8.43% more turnover compared to the previous year. This is mainly due to the increase in online betting. Offline betting remained stable with a small increase of 2.27%.

Online/offline market breakdown based on GGR 2023

The top 10 bookmakers with the highest offline GGR represent 96% of the total GGR on offline bets placed. The top 10 online bookmakers represent 94% of the total turnover made in online betting.

According to our research, Napoleon Sport, Unibet and Betfirst are the three largest bookmakers in Belgium.