Annual Gambling Revenue Records a Slight Decrease in Denmark
The Danish Gambling Authority, Spillemyndigheden, published the annual gambling revenue report a few weeks ago. The regulator revealed a Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) of DKK 10.1 billion. This total was DKK 287 million shy of the GGR of 2021, a year in which many gambling activities were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. All segments, barring gaming machines and land-based casinos, recorded a slight decrease in activity last year and contributed to the 2.8 percent year-on-year (YoY) drop.
Spillemyndigheden revealed a Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) of DKK 10.1 billion for 2022-23.
©Nick Karvounis/Unsplash
Unlike its Nordic neighbors, Finland and Norway, Denmark has opted for a license-based gambling market that enables gambling operators from around the world to apply for a gambling permit and legally enter the regulated and competitive Danish gambling market. Finland and Norway still have gambling monopolies in place, and hence no other operators can enter their market. There is just one monopoly in Denmark that falls in the lotteries segment. State-owned lotto operator Danske Spil is the only legitimate entity that is allowed to provide lotteries in the Nordic state. Despite having one of the most liberal gambling markets in the world, the annual revenue from the gambling segment in 2022 has recorded a decrease. This is surprising considering the fact that the market was expected to bounce back after the land-based segments were drastically affected by the pandemic lockdowns in 2020 and 2021. Additionally, another spike was expected towards the end of last year because of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The Denmark national football team was labeled as one of the tournament’s dark horses, but they were eliminated in the group stages. The early exit may have discouraged a lot of bettors who would have enjoyed wagering on their nation throughout the tournament. Upon further analysis of betting activity during the tournament, the Danish Gambling Authority discovered that the betting activity spiked on days when Denmark was playing a World Cup match. Activity reduced drastically after the national team’s last group-stage match. There was increased betting activity recorded during the final of the tournament, but it was not as high as the activity seen on Denmark’s matchdays. The betting segment generated annual revenue of DKK 2.3 billion last year. This total was 10.8 percent lower than the DKK 2.6 billion GGR of the same segment in 2021. Betting remained the third-biggest gambling segment of the nation, behind lotteries and online casinos, making up 23 percent of the total annual GGR. The two smallest gambling segments in the Danish gambling market were the only segments that recorded growth last year.
Gaming machines and land-based casinos were inaccessible to people for long periods during 2020 and 2021, which is why the revenue from these segments dipped during those two years. Gaming machines remained the fourth largest segment, with a massive 36.8 perecent YoY spike, while the revenue from land-based casinos increased from DKK 236 million in 2021 to DKK 349 million in 2022. Revenue from gaming machines increased from DKK 843 million in 2021 to DKK 1.15 billion last year. Meanwhile, the two biggest segments of the country recorded a significant decrease last year. Lotteries remained the biggest gambling segment in Denmark and were responsible for 33 percent of the GGR last year. Danske Spil’s monopoly generated DKK 3.4 billion last year, marking an 8.2 percent YoY decrease. In 2021, the same segment had reeled in DKK 3.6 billion. Activity in online casinos also reduced as the second-biggest segment of Denmark collected revenue of DKK 2.9 billion last year. This marked a 4.2 percent decrease compared to the GGR of DKK 3 billion in 2021.
912 gambling licenses in Denmark last year
The provision of legal gambling services in Denmark can only happen after the gambling services provider receives approval on its gambling permit application. All segments have their own specific licenses. In the online category, there are two permits – One for online betting and the other for online casinos. Gambling operators can apply for multiple licenses depending on the segments they want to enter. Excluding the lottery segment under Danske Spil’s monopoly, all other segments are open to enter with a valid license.
A staggering 912 gambling licenses were issued by Spillemyndigheden in 2022. A majority of these were granted to charity lotteries. After 811 notifications from these lotteries, 514 were approved as they qualified under charity lotteries and not a state-owned lottery, which falls under a monopoly. Apart from that, 318 licenses were issued for gaming machines. 36 online casino licenses were approved, while 23 gambling permits were granted. The Danish Gambling Authority also issued nine new licenses for land-based casinos.
ROFUS count was a little under 40,000
After the regulation of the Danish gambling market commenced in 2012, the gamblers of the country were also introduced to the self-exclusion register (ROFUS). Almost every regulated gambling market in the world has a register like this for gamblers who have developed harmful gambling traits and could end up losing all their money on various gambling activities. The self-exclusion process is voluntary, and users can opt for either a temporary break or a lifetime exclusion from all legal gambling activities in the country.
In 2012, About 1,456 Danes signed up for ROFUS. The following year, the figure almost doubled to 2,870. Over the year, the number of sign-ups has increased, and the biggest spike came last year when almost 8,500 Danish individuals self-excluded themselves from all licensed betting activities in Denmark. In 2021, the number of registered people in ROFUS was 30,451. At the end of last year, it rose to 38,921. The constant growth highlights that a lot of players are aware of harmful gambling traits and are aware of responsible gambling.
66 percent of the total self-excluded individuals opted for a permanent (lifetime) exclusion from gambling. 18 percent chose to take a six-month break from it, while ten percent opted for a three-month exclusion. Only six percent of the total registered individuals opted for a one-month break from all legal gambling activities in Denmark. Over the next few years, the ROFUS registration numbers are expected to rise.
