SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Banijay Group maintains strong projections for its Betting and Gaming unit, led by the momentum of Betclic continued growth and development, delivering a standout performance in the opening of 2025.
The Gaming division, consolidated under Betclic Everest Group, reported revenues of €381m in Q1 – marking an 18.5% year-on-year increase and outperforming the group’s wider 8.3% revenue growth. The surge was underpinned by significant gains across all verticals, including sportsbook, poker, casino, and turf betting.
Sportsbook operations continued to dominate, generating €296m in revenue, up 19.8% from the prior year (Q12024: €246m), as Betclic solidified its market leadership across regulated European territories.
Poker saw the largest relative increase at 25%, rising to €24m, credited to the launch of Betclic’s proprietary-built online poker platform at the close of 2024, which has delivered an improved user experience with native tech and enhanced in-game features.
Casino and turf betting also posted healthy year-on-year gains, rising 9.3% and 21.6% respectively, contributing €56m and €6m to group revenues.
Overall, Betclic’s strong top-line performance translated into €87m in operating profit for the quarter (+16.4%) and a 20.9% uplift in adjusted EBITDA to €102m. The division also maintained an industry-leading EBITDA margin of 26.8%.
Key to Betclic’s momentum is its “consistent technological investment and focus on user engagement”.
Of significance, during the UEFA Champions League multiplex on 29 January, the Betclic platform was the only French operator to avoid outages, reinforcing a reputation for reliability and performance under pressure.
The business has continued to innovate on product, introducing new features including an insurance option for multi-event bets, which allows customers to hedge losses on accumulator wagers – a European first.
The group also reported a 33% rise in unique active players year-on-year, a reflection of Betclic’s aggressive acquisition strategy and its emphasis on regulated markets. Indeed, 99% of gaming revenues for the nine-month period to March were derived from locally regulated jurisdictions.
Commenting on the results, CEO François Riahi said: “Online sports betting and gaming delivered a very strong performance again in all markets and activities, with revenue up +18.2%, with a 33% increase in Unique Active Players, which is the key indicator in terms of commercial development.
The successful launch of a new proprietary poker app in Q4 2024 and effective cross-selling between products resulted in strong results from our poker business this quarter, and we expect to see continued momentum in this business line for the rest of the year.
Banijay will use the upcoming Capital Markets Day to outline group-wide growth targets and fresh investment priorities through to 2028, as it seeks to consolidate its position across entertainment, live experiences, and online gambling.
