Française des Jeux (FDJ), the leading Frech lottery operator, released its latest trading update Thursday, revealing insights regarding its performance for the third quarter and first nine months of the year. Overall, the reported revenue for the third quarter of this year halted at €586 million ($620.5 million). This result, when compared to the corresponding period in 2022, represented a decrease of 1%.
On the other hand, group revenue for the first nine months of the year through the end of September soared to €1.88 billion ($1.99 billion). This result, when compared to the reported revenue for the first nine months of 2022 marked a growth of 3.9%.
According to the recent report, lottery revenue hit €1.41 billion ($1.49 billion) for the first nine months of the year. This result marked a year-over-year decrease of 1.2%. However, FDJ explained that excluding Euromillions and Amigo shows revenue growth of 3%.
The revenue reported by online gaming and sports betting increased exponentially, hitting €360 million ($381.2 million), a result that represented 9.3% growth. The company said that this increase is “in line with growth in stakes.” While the online segment was impacted positively by the gained momentum for the FIFA World Cup near the end of last year, the pace slowed down during the third quarter of this year.
The Company Anticipates Further Growth
Stéphane Pallez, FDJ’s CEO and chairwoman, praised the latest results, explaining that the company enjoys growth, pushed by strong demand from its growing customer base. She spoke about the strategic acquisition of ZEturf, dating back to September, as well as the upcoming closing of the acquisition of Premier Lotteries Ireland planned for November. Finally, Pallez said: “We are delighted that the teams of these two operators are joining FDJ and that these operations will contribute to the Group’s sustainable and profitable growth.”
“Our growth remains solid, with strong players’ demand, even though it has been affected by the low number of Euromillions high jackpot draws.“
Stéphane Pallez, chairwoman and CEO of FDJ Group
The strategic takeover of ZEturf along with its horse betting business enabled FDJ to strengthen its position in the sports betting and online gaming market in France. As a result, the company became the fourth largest operator in the country with a market share of more than 10%.
FDJ’s latest report uncovered details regarding its expectations throughout 2023. The company confirmed that it anticipates seeing revenue growth of some 5% or between 1.5% and 2% on a like-for-like basis. In Q4, FDJ anticipates seeing growth in lottery sales, as well as strong performance within the online gaming and sports betting vertical.