Over 2022, the money contributed to society by all the members of the European Lotteries (EL) amounted to just over 22 billion euros, a year-on-year growth of a little over 11%.
This is the most important outcome of EL’s 17th consecutive report on the lottery sector in Europe, compiled of data gathered from the 68 EL members in 2022. Of the total of 22 billion euros, 73% went to state budgets, 12% went to support social and other societal purposes, almost 9% to support sports, 4% to culture & heritage, nearly 2% to support health and only 0,4% to education.
The report over 2022 shows further that the total GGR (Gross Gaming Revenue) of all gaming categories amounted to just over 38 billion euros, an increase of some 6% compared to 2021. More than half of this GGR (53%) was accounted for by the results of Draw Based Games (DBGs) organized by the EL Members in their national markets. DBGs grew by some 3% compared to 2021. Instant games showed a 2% growth compared to the previous year, making it the slowest growing category in 2022. Sports betting accounted over 2022 a growth of more than 7% compared to the previous year and became now the second fastest growing game category within the EL Members base. Online operations grew further, with a growth percentage of just over 9%.
The results over 2022 should be seen against the background that more than half (55%) of the EL Members were and are faced with any form of advertisement restrictions. The restrictions can be of any kind and of influence to any game category, offline or online. The EL members offer legally controlled games that protect vulnerable players and channel them away from illegal operations and the most harmful games.
The EL members reported a total of a little over 51.000 employees in the lottery sector, an increase of 5% compared to 2021. The ratio between male and female employees was 50% in 2022.
EL Report on the Lottery Sector in 2022
See the report for the exact percentages upon the number of EL Members that have reported
The European Lotteries association (EL) is the European umbrella organization of entities operating national lotteries and other games of chance, including sports betting. The members of EL are operating their services for the public benefit. EL is the largest and most representative lottery and gambling sector’s organization in Europe, present in 39 European countries with a total of 70 members, including all EU member states (50 members are in the EU and 20 non-EU member states). EL stands for the sound and sustainable activity model for the benefit of society, based on the values of forward-thinking, responsibility and integrity. EL members only operate in those jurisdictions in which they are licensed by the state and where they comply with the legal requirements (e. g. anti-money laundering, responsible gaming policies, etc), and act as the most responsible operators in each jurisdiction. In 2022, EL members secured more than €22 billion for society and directly supported valuable projects related to sport, cultural heritage, art, health care, individuals with disabilities/disadvantages, education, science and many other areas. It is estimated that around half of the European adult population annually participates in the games that are offered by the EL members
