Denmark’s Gross Gaming Revenue Down 8.7% YoY in 2020

Denmark’s gross gaming revenue has declined 8.7% year-on-year in 2020. The closure of land-based gambling facilities, coupled with the cancellation and postponement of many sports events, is the reason for the revenue decline.

Figures released by the national gambling regulator Spillemyndigheden showed that revenue in 2020 amounted to DKK6.00bn (€806.7m), down from DKK6.57bn in the previous year.

Online casino overtook sports betting to become the primary source of gambling income, for the first time since regulation, with revenue here rising by 4.5% to DKK2.45bn. Spillemyndigheden said this was due to players switching to iGaming while land-based facilities were closed, but noted that the 4.5% increase was lower than the average annual increase of 13.0% since regulation in 2012.

Sports betting revenue declined 8.9% year-on-year to DKK2.29bn, while retail slot machine revenue dropped 29.3% to DKK986.0m. Revenue at land-based casinos was also down 31.7% to DKK239.0m.

“One might have expected that there would have been a marked increase in online casino games when the physical gaming halls and casinos were closed down and the opportunities to bet on sports were severely limited,” Anders Dorph, Director of Spillemyndigheden, said.

“However, that is far from the case. Although online casino increased a bit, it is the smallest increase since 2012, and it therefore far outweighs the massive decline we have seen in the other areas.”