Denmarks gaming earnings have taken a significant hit due to the COVID-19 outbreak, experiencing a considerable decrease in the initial six months of 2020.
Controlled gambling earnings experienced a 19.2% year-over-year drop in the first half of 2020, primarily attributed to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the second quarter, income from brick-and-mortar casinos and sports wagering declined sharply as the pandemic led to the closure of these establishments and the postponement of sporting events.
Information released by the Danish Gambling Authority indicates that earnings for the six-month period ending June 30th decreased to 2.7 billion Danish kroner.
The most substantial decline in earnings during this period was observed in the land-based casinos and gaming machines operated by the Danish National Lottery Company. Casino revenue decreased by over 50% to 82 million Danish kroner, while gaming machine revenue dropped by 46.6% to 382 million Danish kroner.
Sports betting revenue fell by 19.6% to 1.01 billion Danish kroner, as sporting events were suspended from mid-March to the end of May.
Online casinos were the only gambling sector that remained unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the only one to see an increase in revenue year-over-year. However, the growth was modest, with total revenue for the first half of the year increasing by 2.8% to 1.23 billion Danish kroner.
This follows a 32% decrease in revenue for all products and channels in the second quarter.
Danish currency units, totaling 11.6 billion, experienced a 5.0% decrease compared to the previous year.
The largest portion of revenue during this period came from gaming establishments, which saw a 6.2% increase, reaching 6.73 billion Danish currency units. Nevertheless, as the Danish Gambling Authority previously indicated, this trend continues the upward trajectory in the sector, but is starting to slow down after robust growth in 2018 and 2019.
In the second quarter, revenue from slot machines constituted the majority of casino revenue, amounting to 4.95 billion Danish currency units, or 73.5% of total revenue. This represented a minor reduction in market share compared to the first quarter, as roulette’s share increased to 65 million Danish currency units (9.7%).
Conversely, revenue from sports wagering decreased by 41.3% in the second quarter, reaching 3.73 billion Danish currency units. Mobile wagering accounted for 53.0% of the wagering amount, exceeding land-based wagering at 32.2%, with desktop wagering accounting for the remaining 14.8%.
Similar to the first half of the year, the most significant decline in the second quarter occurred in the land-based market. Casino revenue plummeted by 83.0% to just 16 million Danish currency units, while gaming machine revenue decreased by 72.9% to 99 million Danish currency units.
At the onset of the pandemic, the Danish Gambling Authority encouraged individuals to utilize resources such as the national self-exclusion program “Voluntary Exclusion of Players Registry” (Rofus) and the “Stop Gambling” hotline if they perceived their gambling habits as unsustainable.
As of June 30, 23,469 individuals had utilized Rofus, of whom 68.1% were permanently prohibited from gambling. Another 18…
A staggering 4% of gamers have entirely blocked all gambling sites for six months, while 8.8% have done so for a quarter of a year, and another 4.7% have blocked them for a month. Males constitute the majority of self-excluded players at 75.4%, while females make up the remaining 24.6%.
In the meantime, StopSpillet received 86 calls from players themselves in the last three months, along with 413 calls from individuals seeking information or calling on behalf of others.
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