World Cup 2022 won by bookmakers

Despite the exclusion of Russian teams from international competitions, which contributed to a decrease in interest in sports, major Russian bookmakers are counting on a 10-20% increase in revenue in 2022. This will be helped, in particular, by the FIFA World Cup in December, which provoked an increase in the number of customers, as well as the low base of 2021, which still remained restrictions due to the pandemic. In 2023, experts say, market dynamics will more directly depend on the international situation.

According to the results of 2022, Fonbet’s revenue could grow by 10% compared to 2021, Sergey Anokhin, CEO of the company, told Kommersant. The industry was strongly affected by the removal of Russian athletes and teams from international competitions, he admits, the general economic situation in the country has also become a negative factor. The exact amount of revenue at the end of 2022 can be said after the end of the World Cup in Qatar (its final takes place from November 20 to December 18), “by the end of the year, it should become the most demanded event of the year, the number of customers has grown by 30–40 %, when compared with the days preceding the start of the World Cup,” says Mr. Anokhin.

The market growth in 2022 will be 10-15%, despite the weak performance of the second quarter and the departure of a number of players, says Dmitry Sergeev, managing partner of Pari bookmaker (for example, Bet365, GG.Bet, Pin Up announced their departure from the Russian market). “Against the backdrop of the World Cup, the number of active customers increased by 25% compared to the days before the tournament,” he adds.

BetBoom expects a positive trend in revenue in 2022, without specifying the figures. The company also noted an increase in demand against the backdrop of the World Cup: “The number of bets increased by 14%, and the number of active users increased by 25%.” Poland-Argentina, Brazil-Serbia and France-Australia became the most popular matches in terms of the number of bets on the World Cup, BetBoom says. Nevertheless, the company notes that due to the non-participation of the Russian national team, the lack of broadcasts on Channel One and Russia 1 (this year they did not buy the rights), the current championship is “a less media event than in the 2018 World Cup or Euro 2020, so the effect is lower.”

Market participants also celebrate other sporting events. “The new formula for the Russian Football Cup has increased the number of matches, including the top ones, which has increased the viewer’s interest in the tournament,” Sergey Anokhin explains. In addition, according to him, interest in the Russian Premier League (RPL) and the European top championships, the UEFA Champions League tournament is growing. “The matches of the Continental Hockey League and the RPL were popular this year,” Dmitry Sergeev adds. In BetBoom, the top five tournaments by the number of bets in 2022 included the English Premier League, the Italian Football Championship, the UEFA Champions League, the NHL and the KHL.

Betsity Marketing Director Rustem Akmalov clarifies that the low base of 2021 also contributes to the growth of bookmakers’ revenue in 2022. “Then, covid restrictions remained, although not as severe as in 2020, but they were reflected in the activity of the players,” he says.

At the end of the year, an increase in targeted deductions from bookmakers is also expected (payments collected by the Unified Gambling Regulator, ERAI, money is distributed between federations and leagues). Since September 1, the system for calculating deductions has changed, which contributed to the growth of their volume (see Kommersant dated December 24, 2020). ERAI CEO Alexei Grachev told Kommersant that deductions, “according to the most pessimistic forecasts”, will grow by 20%, to 12 billion rubles. He also considers the fight against illegal bookmakers to be the reason for the growth – “the ERAI system tracked more than 4.5 million illegal sites in a year.”

The Rating of Bookmakers also expects the growth of bookmakers’ revenue in 2022 by about 15–20%, notes Paruyr Shahbazyan, founder of the publication. In 2023, everything will depend on “whether the international environment changes,” the expert believes, “if this happens, the market can show serious growth.”

Valeria Lebedeva