The quarterly decrease in new player registrations can potentially be attributed to seasonal fluctuations. However, there is still a notable 9.1% increase compared to the previous year, resulting in a total of 128,100 new players. This is higher than the 118,900 total in the previous quarter and the 93,600 total from the previous year.
Meanwhile, there is a growing concern with the rising proportion of self-excluded players even as the overall player pool shrinks. Currently, self-excluding players account for 3.5% of the total number of registered players, with 91.8% opting out for an indefinite period.
In terms of revenue, online gaming and betting contributed €146.4m (£123.6m/$149.5m), experiencing a 17.2% increase year-on-year but a 7.7% decrease quarterly. This is in contrast to the previous quarter, where Portuguese gross gambling revenue saw a 23.6% year-on-year rise.
Out of the total revenue, €64.7m was generated through sports betting activities, while the remaining €81.7m came from online gaming. The Special Tax on Online Gaming (IEJO) received a total of €44.9m, surpassing the €38.8m received during the same period the previous year.
The regulator’s efforts against illegal operators continued, issuing 54 notices of closure to websites during the quarter. This brings the total number of closures to 980 since the SRIJ started documenting the information in 2015. Additionally, the regulator blocked the ISPs of 34 sites, resulting in a total of 1,234 sites being blocked.
The report also emphasized the actions taken to combat illegal advertising by unlicensed online game operators. The SRIJ implemented monitoring and awareness campaigns, resulting in the removal of 400 videos promoting illegal gambling sites (20 in the second quarter of 2022).
