Online gambling soon to account for 40% of the European market!
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28 Mar 2025 •
Reading time: 2 minutes In 2024, the European gambling market reached a record 123.4 billion euros, driven by the growth of online gambling, which now accounts for 39% of the total. Mobile games dominate with 58% of online revenues, while Italy remains the continent’s largest market. Forecasts for 2025 indicate that online gaming will pass the 40% mark, with continued growth until 2029.
In 2024, the European gambling market reached a record turnover of €123.4 billion, marking a 5% increase on the previous year. This growth was mainly driven by the continued expansion of online gambling, which now accounts for 39% of the sector’s total revenue, up from 37% in 2023.
The rise of online gambling
The report by the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), in collaboration with H2 Gambling Capital, highlights that online gambling revenue reached €47.9 billion in 2024. This growth reflects the trend for consumers to favour digital platforms for their gambling activities.
Maarten Haijer, Secretary General of the EGBA, observes:
‘Online channels are showing stronger momentum, driven by changing consumer preferences and technological advancements.’
Mobile devices dominate the online gaming landscape, generating 58% of online revenues in 2024, up from 56% in 2023. This increase underlines the growing importance of smartphones and tablets in accessing gaming services.
The report reveals significant differences between the types of online and land-based games in 2024:
- Lottery: €38 billion in revenues, mainly from the land-based sector (€30.9 billion) compared with online (€7.1 billion).
- Casino games: €30 billion in total, with online (€21.5 billion) predominating over land-based (€8.5 billion).
- Gaming machines: €24.9 billion, exclusively land-based.
- Sports betting and events: €20.1 billion, mostly online (€13.7 billion).
Significant national variations
The study highlights substantial differences between European national markets. Online gambling penetration varies considerably, reaching 68.3% of total gaming revenue in Sweden and 68.1% in Finland and Denmark, compared with just 14.2% in Spain. Italy is positioned as the largest European market, with total revenues of €21 billion in 2023, followed by the UK (€19.8 billion), Germany (€14.4 billion) and France (€14 billion).
The European gambling market is projected to reach €127.7 billion in 2025, an increase of 3.5% on 2024. Online gambling is poised to reach a significant milestone, accounting for 40% of the total market, with projected revenues of €51.1 billion. In the longer term, the overall market could reach €149.2 billion by 2029, with online gaming forecast to grow by 6.9% a year to €66.8 billion, while the land-based sector is expected to grow by 1.8% a year to €82.4 billion.