Online Gambling Reaches 39% of Europe’s Total Gambling Revenue in 2024

Continued Expansion of the European Gambling Market

According to the latest report by the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), produced in partnership with H2 Gambling Capital, Europe’s gambling market grew by 5% in 2024. Gross gaming revenue reached €123.4 billion, up from €117.5 billion in 2023. This growth includes both online and land-based gambling across the EU-27 and the UK.

Online gambling revenue increased to €47.9 billion in 2024, up from €43.5 billion the year prior. This growth pushed its market share to 39% of total gambling revenue, rising two percentage points from 2023. Land-based gambling, despite growing in absolute value to €75.5 billion, saw its market share decline from 63% to 61%. The shift signals a steady transformation in consumer preferences toward digital platforms.

Mobile Devices Drive Online Activity

Mobile platforms continued to gain ground, generating 58% of online gambling revenue in 2024, compared to 56% in 2023. The dominance of smartphones reflects broader digital trends and underlines the importance of mobile-optimized products for operators targeting the European market.

The report notes clear differences in how gambling products perform across online and offline channels. Lottery remained the top product overall, generating €38 billion, with the majority (€30.9 billion) coming from land-based sales. In contrast, casino games brought in €30 billion, of which €21.5 billion was online. Gaming machines, with revenue of €24.9 billion, were entirely land-based. Sports and event betting totaled €20.1 billion, with €13.7 billion attributed to online platforms.

Wide Gaps Between National Markets

Gambling behavior varies significantly across European countries, driven by differences in regulation and consumer habits. Online gambling represents 68.3% of total gambling revenue in Sweden, and similar figures are seen in Finland (68.1%) and Denmark. In contrast, Spain shows only 14.2% online penetration, indicating how uneven the digital shift is across the continent.

The European gambling market is projected to reach €127.7 billion in 2025, with online gambling expected to hit €51.1 billion—crossing the 40% market share threshold. Land-based gambling is forecast to grow modestly to €76.6 billion. By 2029, total GGR could reach €149.2 billion, with online gambling climbing to €66.8 billion and land-based reaching €82.4 billion. These figures suggest an annual growth rate of 6.9% for online channels, compared to just 1.8% for land-based.

Industry Perspective

Commenting on the findings, Maarten Haijer, Secretary General of EGBA, stated:

“Europe’s gambling market showed steady growth in 2024. While land-based gambling remains dominant and continues to grow in absolute terms, online channels are showing stronger momentum, driven by changing consumer preferences and technological advancement. Looking ahead to 2025, we expect online gambling to cross the significant 40% market share milestone, with this trend projected to continue in the coming years as online gambling is expected to approach parity with land-based gambling by 2029.”