FDJ Reports Strong Growth in First Half of 2024
France’s gambling authority, ANJ, has released its report on the gambling market for the first half of 2024, highlighting significant growth for Française des Jeux (FDJ). The company experienced a 5.5% increase, reaching €3.5 billion in gross gaming revenue. This growth was primarily driven by the strong performance of scratch-off games and lottery games like EuroMillions and EuroDreams.
Key Figures for FDJ in the First Half of 2024:
- FDJ’s revenue grew by 5.5% to €3.5 billion in the first half of 2024.
- All sectors of Française des Jeux saw increases, including scratch-off games and draw games (EuroMillions and EuroDreams).
- The acquisitions of Zeturf and the Irish Lottery also boosted the operator’s revenue.
According to ANJ’s semi-annual analysis of gambling in France, FDJ’s strong revenue growth reached €3.5 billion, including FDJ games, sports betting in retail outlets, Parions Sport, Zeturf/Zebet, and the Irish Lottery.
Ticket d’Or and Maxi Black Jack: Driving Forces for FDJ Scratch-Offs in 2024
Launched in 2024, the new Ticket d’Or scratch-off game in January and the Maxi Black Jack ticket in April significantly boosted the revenue of FDJ’s scratch-off sector. While other popular games like Mots Croisés, Goal, Carré Or, and Millionnaire continued to perform well, FDJ benefited from two successful launches in its Illiko range within a few months.
Revenue growth for FDJ’s scratch-off games was 6.7%, making it the operator’s strongest sector.
EuroMillions and EuroDreams: European Lotteries Boost Draw Games
While growing at a slower pace, the draw games sector still increased by 2.1% in the first half of 2024 compared to the first half of 2023. This was due to EuroMillions having several draws without a major winner, leading to large jackpots, such as a record €213 million jackpot won in Porto and a recent €162 million jackpot won in the Spanish Basque Country. With 15 EuroMillions winners in 2024 for 13 jackpots, the year has been fortunate for both players and jackpot sizes. The number of French winners, at five, also contributed to the excitement surrounding EuroMillions draws this year.
The launch of the EuroDreams lottery also contributed to sales volume, although less than EuroMillions or Loto, it was still significant for its first year.
These strong performances by the European lotteries highlight a decreased interest in the remaining three lotteries: Keno, Amigo, and the traditional Loto, which have been somewhat “neglected” by players and less promoted by the operator in the first half of 2024.
Acquisition of Zeturf and Premier Lotteries Ireland Bodes Well for Revenue
While FDJ finalized its acquisition of Kindred for €1.9 billion just weeks ago, the previous acquisitions of Zeturf (horse racing betting) and Zebet (sports betting), as well as the Irish lottery operator (Premier Lotteries Ireland), have been successful.
With both operators strong in online gaming, they have also increased the FDJ group’s digital sales volume to 15% compared to 12% in 2023.
These positive results were welcomed by investors, with a 4% increase following the publication of these semi-annual results by ANJ. FDJ shares were trading at €36.82 on October 18.
Below is the revenue by sector for Française des Jeux in the first six months of 2024.
FDJ’s strong performance in the first half of 2024 demonstrates the company’s ability to innovate and adapt to changing market conditions.
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