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ANJ: Summary of the Online gambling market for the first quarter of 2021: business continues to grow in all gambling segments
After a singular year in 2020, which ended with a 22% increase in the sector’s turnover, the first quarter of 2021 confirms the very dynamic growth of the online gambling market, with a 35% increase in turnover compared to the same period in 2020. Sports and horse racing betting once again recorded record stakes, while poker, still on the rise, began to return to normal.
In the first quarter of 2021, the turnover of the online gambling sector is up 35% and amounts to 587 million euros. The business was driven by 3.1 million players on accounts, a player base that is up 19% compared to 2020. Each segment of online gambling opened to competition have seen further strong growth in activity this quarter. These performances illustrate the acceleration of the digitalisation of gambling practices, which is a consequence of the health crisis and whose structuring character will have to be confirmed over the long term. As such, the levels of growth recorded in the first quarter of 2021, which are measured in relation to the first quarter of 2020, should be viewed with a certain amount of caution since, on the one hand, they are influenced upwards, for the two online betting segments, by the loss of business linked to the suspension of French sports betting and horse racing betting and, on the other hand, they are oriented downwards for the online poker market, due to the peak of business recorded at the same period last year.
Online sports betting: record stakes and new players
The online sports betting segment, which was the most affected by the first period of lockdown, is the one that has seen the most spectacular growth in stakes this quarter. 2.2 billion euros (+79%[1] compared to Q1 2020) were approximatively bet by the players on the competitions of the quarter, which corresponds to the highest amount of stakes recorded in a quarter. The number of sports bettors in the quarter increased by 29% to almost 2.5 million active player accounts (APA). It is very likely that the growth in activity will continue at a high rate this year due to the two major competitions, the European football championship and the Summer Olympic Games.
The FDJ reports a volume of sports betting stakes recorded on the two distribution channels equal to 1.1 billion euros in the first quarter of 2021, which corresponds to an increase of 46% compared to its results for the first quarter of 2020.
Online horse racing betting: growth continues and expands
The growth dynamic of the online horse racing betting market observed in 2020 is also continuing at a very steady pace. The horse racing stakes, which amount to 481 million euros, increased by 60% compared to the first quarter of 2020, again the highest volume of stakes recorded in a quarter. At the same time, the turnover of the six licensed horse racing betting operators reached 110 million euros, an increase of 48% compared to the first quarter of 2020. Online horse racing betting also recorded a 13% increase in players, with a total of 402,000 active player accounts (APA) over the quarter.
The horse racing betting offer at points of sale remains affected by the health restrictions which, as revealed by PMU, led to the closure of almost 40% of the points of sale for several consecutive months. As a result, the operator posted a 23% drop in stakes placed in its network of sales outlets for a total of 1.3 billion euros.
Online poker: lower growth marks the beginning of a return to normality
Online poker, which recorded the highest turnover increase in 2020, continues to grow at a sustained rate but at a lower rate than in previous quarters. Thus, the sector’s turnover grew by 23% to 120 million euros. The number of online poker players grew by 9% (991,000 active player accounts, (APA)). The results of online poker for the next quarter should however interrupt this dynamic, since they will be calculated with regard to the 2nd quarter of 2020, which had shown an exceptional level of activity due to the first lockdown.
|
Q1 2020
|
Q1 2021
|
Variation
|
TOTAL
|
|
|
|
Actives player accounts
|
2 598 000
|
3 078 000
|
+ 19%
|
Gross Gambling Revenue
|
435 m€
|
587 m€
|
+ 35%
|
Sports betting
|
|||
Actives player accounts
|
1 915 000
|
2 466 000
|
+ 29%
|
stakes
|
1 220 m€
|
2 181 m€
|
+ 79%
|
Gross Gambling Revenue
|
263 m€
|
357 m€
|
+ 36%
|
Horse racing betting
|
|
|
|
Actives player accounts
|
357 000
|
402 000
|
+ 13%
|
stakes
|
300 m€
|
481 m€
|
+ 60%
|
Gross Gambling Revenue
|
74 m€
|
110 m€
|
+ 48%
|
Poker
|
|
|
|
Actives player accounts
|
906 000
|
991 000
|
+ 9%
|
Gross Gambling Revenue
|
98 m€
|
120 m€
|
+ 23%
|
For Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, ANJ’s Chairwoman: “The online gambling dynamics goes on and is accelerating this quarter. It calls for a certain vigilance and must be accompanied in order to guarantee the protection of players, especially in the run-up to major sport events such as the EURO football tournament or the Tokyo Olympic Games. As such, the ANJ reminded operators of the need for their commercial communications to emphasise the importance of maintaining a moderate and controlled gambling practice and for bonuses or welcome offers to be sufficiently clear, enabling players to understand the commitments they underlie. Additionally, the ANJ will pay particular attention to tipsters’ Websites which have recently strongly developed. Some of these Websites are in fact involved in misleading practices and present a real danger for players.”
Latest News
Borja Imbergano, Betbrothers: “Our Priority is Always the Player”

We recently sat down with BetBrothers’ Head of Growth & Strategy, Borja Imbergamo, to talk about the company’s mission to become a global leader in regulated sports betting markets. He discusses the principles driving BetBrothers strategy, its unique value to players and operators, and what it takes to build a trusted affiliate brand in today’s market.
Could you please share a bit about your background and experience within the iGaming industry?
My journey in the iGaming industry began more than 11 years ago. I was one of the few professional bettors who successfully turned sports betting into a full-time career. Later, I became a professional tipster and in the meantime, 8 years ago, I had the opportunity to build one of the leading affiliate websites in Spain from the ground up.
During that project I was involved in every aspect of the business — from content creation, SEO, and marketing to sales, product development and team management. Being part of a small team meant I had to wear many hats, which I believe gave me a 360-degree understanding of the industry and the skills needed to launch and scale successful projects. As well as identify and manage the right people to make them happen.
Currently, as Head of Growth & Strategy at Betbrothers, I’m applying this experience to lead the expansion into more than 20 GEOs. I’m confident we’ll achieve this ambitious goal thanks to the strong and talented team we have built.
What’s Betbrother’s mission, and what sets it apart in the affiliate marketing landscape?
At Betbrothers, our priority is always the player. Our core mission is “Connecting Players with Safer Bets”. This means helping users enjoy sports betting as a form of entertainment — guiding them to bet responsibly, in ways that suit their style and preferences.
A key part of this is ensuring users are betting in safe and regulated environments. We are fully committed to working only with licensed operators, and we invest significant resources in matching users with the right bookmakers in each market. Ones that are compliant with local regulations.
We believe regulated markets, despite their limitations, offer the safest and most transparent experience for users. Through our content and platform, we aim to promote responsible gambling by helping users understand their options, set limits and stay in control of their behaviour. Ultimately, we see our role as both a guide and a safeguard — making the betting experience safer and more enjoyable.
BetBrothers is only partnering with operators holding licenses in regulated markets. What is the strategic reasoning behind this focus?
Our focus on regulated markets comes from user-centric philosophy. We want our users to enjoy sports betting in a safe, transparent and well-regulated way — even if sometimes it means fewer promotions or tighter restrictions. Licensed operators provide clear rules, secure transactions, and fair play. It leads to a much more positive user experience.
From a business perspective, partnering exclusively with regulated operators also ensures long-term sustainability. These operators have invested significant time and resources to obtain licenses, which means they are committed to the market and are here to stay. This gives us the confidence we need to build long term partnerships.
In short, working with licensed operators aligns with both our values and our strategic vision — promoting sports betting as a safe form of entertainment, while building a trustworthy and future-proof business.
From an operator’s perspective, what is the unique value that BetBrothers brings to the table?
First and most important: we bring high-quality, compliant traffic. Our strategy is heavily focused on organic acquisition, which we believe is the most valuable and sustainable traffic (and not only in iGaming). But we don’t just deliver volume. We are focused on providing users with the right content to help them make informed decisions — where, how and when to place their bets. This results in users who truly want to play with a specific operator. Players that are loyal, conscious of their choices, and more likely to stick around in the long term.
Additionally, we bring deep industry knowledge to the table. Our team has over 25 years of combined experience, allowing us to create content that is not only optimized and compliant, but also useful.
On top of that, we are building Betbrothers as a globally recognized and trusted brand. One that players all over the world can rely on. When users see an operator on our side, they’ll know it’s fully licensed, reputable and safe. Because we have done the due diligence for them already. That trust is a key part of the value we offer to both users and operators alike.
How Betbrothers is going to differentiate itself from competition in terms of content and product experience?
Our focus is — and always will be — the user. Every piece of content we produce is designed to deliver real value, helping users to make smarter betting decisions and improve their strategy. We know what players are looking for, how to speak their language, and how
to strike the right balance between honest, user-first content and effective promotion of trusted operators.
In an industry where a lot of the content is AI-generated and tailored primarily for Google, we are doing things differently. We are not writing for algorithms — we’re writing for people. Our editorial team is made up of experts with hands-on industry knowledge.
Another key differentiator is our approach to user-generated content. We want our platform to be a space where users share their opinions, voice their concerns, and help each other out. We see UGC as a way to create community, improve transparency, and provide even more value — with our team always there to guide and support where needed. We believe that strong content combined with smart, intuitive UX is the best strategy to grow organically and stand out in a crowded space.
What’s the long-term vision for BetBrothers when it comes to expanding into new markets?
Our long-term vision is to become the most trusted and recognizable brand in the world when it comes to regulated sports betting. We want users to know exactly what to expect when they visit Betbrothers: transparent information, responsible guidance and a curated list of fully licensed operators.
We are committed to expanding only into regulated jurisdictions, where we can guarantee a safe, legal and responsible betting experience for our users. We’re already active in focus markets such as Spain and Greece, along with a growing number of others across Europe and beyond. With more than 20 GEOs currently in progress, our goal is to establish a strong local presence wherever sports betting is legal and regulated. We want to become a regional authority in each market while maintaining the same standards of quality.
Looking ahead two to three years, what does success look like for BetBrothers?
In two to three years, success for Betbrothers means being the go-to platform for both users and operators. For users, we want to be the most trusted and reliable source of information about legal, regulated bookmakers. A place where they know they’ll find expert, honest and useful content to guide their betting decisions.
For operators, we aim to be the ideal long-term partner — providing high-quality, compliant traffic from engaged users across multiple markets. When an operator is looking for a partner they can trust, with a global footprint and a focus sustainability, we want Betbrothers to be the first name that comes to mind.
Beyond business success, our broader goal is to help push the industry in a more responsible, transparent direction. More and more countries are moving toward regulation and safer gambling practices. We want to be part of that transformation. To play a key role in building an industry that’s not just profitable, but also fair, honest and truly centered around the player.
The post Borja Imbergano, Betbrothers: “Our Priority is Always the Player” appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Topic: ROnline Casino : Why Trust is the Real Currency in Online Casino Reviews

1. In an industry often driven by affiliate commissions, how do you personally define “trust”? Why do you believe it holds more long-term value than short-term revenue gains?
The best way to build trust with your audience is through a customer-centric approach. That means prioritizing accurate and honest reviews, rather than focusing purely on commercial interests. When visitors find the information, they’re looking for, you build customer loyalty. In the long run, loyalty creates far more value than quick gains from promoting questionable casino brands with flat fees and hybrid deals.
2. Given the financial incentives at play, how do you ensure your reviews remain truly objective and transparent?
Our casino reviews are always factually correct and honest, regardless of the commissions we are receiving. Our review criteria are available on our website, and our scoring system remains consistent, unaffected by affiliate partnerships. We clearly disclose that we use affiliate links but we always side with our visitors. That kind of transparency might not maximize revenue, but it builds trust and forges strong relationships with our players.
3. Have you ever had to reject or cut ties with a high-paying casino partner over ethical concerns? Can you walk us through one such decision?
Yes, that happens from time to time. We have a contact form on our website that allows players to contact us when they feel they are being treated unfairly. We received several complaints from players and escalated these to our partner. Upon doing some research we realized that other casino portals were reporting similar problems with this operator, which led to us updating our reviews and dropping them in our rankings.-
4. What are the key red flags you look for when evaluating whether or not to recommend a casino operator to your audience?
We always make sure that the casino operators we are listing are properly licensed and have a good reputation in the iGaming industry. Red flags are unfair bonus terms, missing translations, withdrawal issues, unprofessional customer support, and a lack of responsible gambling tools. If a casino operator has lots of unresolved complaints on Trustpilot or Casinomeister, we simply don’t promote them.
5. From your experience, how do players pick up on bias or manipulation in reviews — and what can platforms do to avoid giving that impression?
Players are much smarter today and exchange information on forums and in their circles. They are often seasoned and have played at online casinos for many years. They can spot inaccurate reviews right away and know exactly what they are looking for in a casino. Our reviews therefore always focus on the pros and cons, the bonus conditions and real expert experiences from hands-on testing of the casino.
6. Many affiliate sites claim to be “independent,” but not all deliver on that promise. What practical steps can review platforms take to actually earn user trust?
Be customer-centric and focus on user intent. Players visit your site to find out which casinos are reliable and trustworthy. Make sure your reviews are up to date and unbiased. Avoid promoting shady operators that could damage your reputation with your audience. To earn trust, you need to publish honest recommendations based on facts rather than sales pitches.
7. How do you collect, verify, and incorporate player feedback into your rating system?
We have a contact form on our site for player complaints, and we also make use of external sources such as forums and watchdog sites like Casinomeister, Trustpilot and Casino Guru. If we notice patterns related to specific casino groups or licenses, we incorporate a warning in our reviews as well. Player feedback is one of the most valuable tools we have to ensure our reviews are honest and reflect real user experiences.
8. Do licensing authorities and regulatory frameworks factor into your trust scores — or is your assessment more focused on real user experience?
Both matter, but reputation is most important. If a casino is not properly licensed, we will either choose not to list it or highlight the risks associated with an unlicensed casino in terms of player protection and payouts. However, we do list some casinos that operate under a weaker license when we know from previous experience that they are overall reliable and trustworthy.
9. With the rise of AI-generated content and fake reviews, how can affiliate sites protect their authenticity and credibility at scale?
All our reviews are produced in-house by real casino experts who have been working in the iGaming industry for many years. We test casinos ourselves and focus on detailed reviews based on real-life experiences and industry knowledge. While we use AI for
mundane tasks like spell-checking, we believe AI-generated reviews ultimately represent fake experiences and do not reflect the unbiased expert opinions and recommendations that players deserve.
10. Looking to the future, do you see reputation becoming a key differentiator among affiliates? If so, how will users — and partners — measure that reputation?
As the market matures, users are choosing review sites based on their interests, honesty, and reputation. These signals are picked up by Google and will directly impact your rankings. Users will look at how sites respond to user complaints, how accurate their reviews are, and whether they truly advocate for casino players. The affiliates that focus on credibility will be the preferred choice for players who are searching for real reviews from industry experts.
The post Topic: ROnline Casino : Why Trust is the Real Currency in Online Casino Reviews appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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USDT Casino Launches Industry-First ‘Sunday Brunch Free Spins’ with Zero Wagering Requirements

USDT Casino has unveiled a groundbreaking promotion that is set to transform weekend gaming for cryptocurrency enthusiasts. The innovative ‘Sunday Brunch Free Spins’ offer provides players with 20 free spins on Evoplay’s popular Food Feast slot, featuring zero wagering requirements and no maximum win limits.
This player-centric initiative marks a significant departure from traditional casino promotions, offering unprecedented flexibility and instant cashout capabilities for USDT players.
The promotion, available every Sunday, targets active players who have made at least one deposit during the previous week, with a minimum qualifying deposit of $20 USDT required to participate.
Key features of the Sunday Brunch Free Spins include:
- 20 Free Spins on Food Feast by Evoplay
- Zero wagering requirements on all winnings
- No maximum win limits
- Instant cash rewards
- Available exclusively for USDT players
- Simple claim process via 24/7 Live Chat
The promotion demonstrates USDT Casino’s commitment to providing enhanced value to its crypto-focused player base while eliminating common friction points associated with traditional free spin offers.
Industry-Leading Player Benefits
Unlike conventional casino promotions that typically impose 35x-50x wagering requirements, USDT Casino’s Sunday Brunch Free Spins allows players to keep 100% of their winnings immediately. This approach aligns with the broader industry trend toward transparency and player-friendly terms.
The seamless claim process through Live Chat ensures instant reward delivery, eliminating delays commonly associated with promotional offers. Players can simply contact support on Sundays to receive their spins, with no additional verification steps required.
Setting New Standards in Crypto Gaming
USDT Casino’s innovative promotion arrives as the crypto gaming sector continues to evolve, with operators seeking differentiation through unique player offerings. The Sunday Brunch Free Spins program positions USDT Casino as a forward-thinking operator focused on customer satisfaction and retention.
The promotion’s recurring weekly structure encourages consistent player engagement while rewarding loyalty without complex tier systems or restrictive conditions.
Michael Thompson, Head of Promotions at USDT Casino, stated, “Our Sunday Brunch Free Spins represent our commitment to creating genuine value for our players. By eliminating wagering requirements and win limits, we’re delivering an authentic, player-first experience that sets new standards in the crypto casino space.”
The promotion is now live and available every Sunday, with USDT Casino reserving the right to modify terms as needed. Players must agree to the casino’s fair play policy and promotion terms to participate.
About USDT Casino: USDT Casino is a leading cryptocurrency casino platform specialising in Tether (USDT) gaming solutions. The platform offers seamless crypto transactions, instant withdrawals, and a diverse game portfolio tailored for the modern digital gambler.
The post USDT Casino Launches Industry-First ‘Sunday Brunch Free Spins’ with Zero Wagering Requirements appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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