The figure surpassed the previous quarterly record of €47.3 million, which was set in the first three months of the current year.
At the halfway point of the year, Portugal has now generated more revenue than in the whole of 2018, with the €95.6m reported in the first and second quarter already some way ahead of last year’s overall total of €78.9m.
Online casino overtook sports betting as the main source of income for operators in Portugal during Q2, with the market generating €25.3m in revenue, up from €22.6m in the first quarter and €16.8m in Q2 of last year.
Consumers spent a total of €699.8m on online casino, with slots accounting for 67.03% of this figure. French roulette ranked second with a 13.49% share of the market, followed by blackjack on 8.08%.
However, poker continues to struggle in Portugal, with combined cash games and tournaments holding an online casino market share of 11.34%, down from 13.9% in Q1. Poker spending has now fallen for four consecutive quarters.
Meanwhile, sports betting revenue slipped from €24.8m in Q1 to €23.0m in the past three months, but this total was still 12.4% higher than in the same period last year. Sports betting spend stood at €112.1m for the quarter, down from €131.3m in the first three months of the year, but up on €89.8m in Q2 of 2018.
Football remains the most popular sport to bet on among Portuguese punters, with a market share of 71.41%. Tennis was second on 16.38%, followed by basketball with 7.50%.
The SRIJ issued 20 notices for operators without a permit to cease activities and shut down during Q2, and submitted 21 requests to internet service providers to block such websites.
Meanwhile, land-based gaming revenue was up 0.5% from €77.0m last year to €77.4m, despite a dip in poker and bingo revenue.
Source: GMB / iGaming Business
