for early access to the latest igaming videos!
and get the latest igaming news first!
The fourth quarter of 2025 was a huge success for Portugal’s online gambling industry. The most recent figures, which were just provided by the local regulator, the SRIJ, appear to be very encouraging for licensed operators. To finish the year, the market generated gross revenue of 337.6 million euros. That represents a strong 4.5% increase over the same period last year and a 13.6% increase over the prior quarter. Operators continue noticing the benefits, and it appears that people like the entertainment industry.
Casino Games Steal the Show
Casino games really carried the weight this time around. Operators raised 214 million euros from online slots and table games. That marks a nearly 16% increase from last year. On the other hand, the sportsbook saw plenty of action, but the actual gross income for sports took a decrease. Fixed-odds sports betting brought in 123.6 million euros, which dropped about 10% compared to the end of 2024.
When you add it all up, casino games made up over 63 percent of the market’s total revenue. Naturally, higher revenues mean larger tax contributions. Operators paid out 99.3 million euros through the special online gambling tax. This gave the state a nice 11 percent boost in tax income year-over-year.
Where the Money Goes
Let’s look at what players actually want to play. Customers wagered 5.9 billion euros during the quarter, jumping almost 15% from the previous year. Slots are still the undebated leader of the country, taking up over 80% of total bets. Players also spent some time on local favorites like banca francesa, along with roulette, blackjack, and crash-style games. Poker barely moved the needle at just over one percent.
Over in the sportsbook, total betting volumes actually went up 7 percent to 571 million euros, even though operator revenue fell. Football dominated the ticket slips as usual. Fans threw 75 percent of their sports wagers at football matches. They mostly stuck to the local Primeira Liga, the English Premier League, and the Champions League. Tennis and basketball picked up the rest of the major action.
Who is Playing Today?
The player base keeps changing and growing. Right now, 18 licensed operators run 32 active platforms in Portugal. They cover sports, casino, and even a little bingo. Player registrations hit almost 5 million total. Operators welcomed over 230,000 new sign-ups in just three months, and around 1.2 million people actively placed bets during the quarter.
If you want to know who your target audience is, just look at the younger crowd. Players under 45 make up 77% of all registered accounts. The 25 to 34 age category alone accounts for a third of the entire market. Most of them are Portuguese locals, but Brazilian expats make up half of the foreign player base.
Keeping the Market Safe
A growing market needs solid guards, and the SRIJ keeps a close eye on player protection. Self-exclusion requests keep growing, which indicates that the safety measures actually work. Over 361,000 users requested to lock their accounts by the end of the year. That number represents about 7% of all users.
The regulator also spent the quarter combating unlicensed sites. They sent out dozens of cease-and-desist letters to illegal operators and ordered internet providers to block 116 unlicensed websites. They even sent two severe cases straight to the Public Prosecutor’s Office. For licensed iGaming operators, this means less unfair competition and a much healthier, safer market overall.
Source: srij.turismodeportugal.pt
