Danish Gambling Authority Reports Online Casinos Now Lead Market in 2025, Surpassing Lotteries
2026-06-30
Source: iGaming Business
Online casinos have surpassed lotteries to become the largest gambling segment in Denmark in 2025, according to the Danish Gambling Authority’s latest report. While overall market GGR saw a slight decline, online gambling, particularly via mobile devices, continues to expand its dominance and grow significantly since the market's 2012 liberalization.
The Danish gambling landscape experienced a significant shift in 2025, with online casinos emerging as the dominant segment, overtaking traditional lotteries for the first time since the market’s partial liberalization in 2012. This key finding comes from the latest annual report, "Spilmarkedet i tal 2025," published by the Danish Gambling Authority (Spillemyndigheden).
In 2025, the total gross gambling revenue (GGR) for the Danish market reached DKK11.5 billion ($1.75 billion), representing a marginal 1% decrease (DKK116 million) from the previous year. When adjusted for 2026 price levels and GDP growth, this figure is 4.9% lower than the 2012 baseline. Online casinos generated DKK4.31 billion in GGR, capturing 38% of the total market. This segment saw a robust 12.1% year-on-year increase (DKK465 million) and an impressive 139% growth since 2012.
Conversely, monopoly lotteries, encompassing Lotto, Klasselotterier, and scratch tickets, accounted for DKK3.49 billion, or 30% of the market, experiencing a 6.2% decline from 2024. Sports betting also saw a downturn, falling 11.5% to DKK2.13 billion (19% of the market). Physical slot machines contributed DKK1.18 billion (10% of total revenue), a 6.8% year-on-year decrease, while land-based casinos declined by 5.6% to DKK378 million (3%). Notably, newly liberalized land-based bingo appeared in the report for the first time with a modest GGR of DKK30 million, representing less than 1% of the market.
Online gambling continued to solidify its market dominance, comprising 73% of total GGR in 2025, an increase from 70% in 2024 and a substantial leap from just 33% in 2012. Mobile devices were the preferred platform, generating 73% of all online gambling revenue, a dramatic rise from 27% in 2012. Within online casinos, slots were the primary driver, accounting for 82% of the segment's GGR (DKK3.54 billion), with roulette and blackjack each contributing approximately 6% (DKK246 million and DKK267 million respectively).
Spillemyndigheden noted that its methodological approach for the report involved adjusting GGR figures to 2026 price levels and aligning them with Denmark’s GDP, which may lead to variations when comparing 2025 data with prior reports. The authority postponed the release of its updated channelization report until 2026, pending additional data verification, resulting in the exclusion of estimates for unlicensed online market activity from the current report.
By the close of 2025, the authority had issued 1,970 licenses across various gambling categories. This included 41 online casino licenses (three temporary and revenue-limited), 27 betting licenses (two revenue-limited), 277 permits for physical slot machine operations covering 23,172 machines, and 12 land-based bingo licenses introduced after market liberalization on January 1, 2025. Four monopoly holders retain exclusive rights to major commercial lotteries. The report also highlighted a disparity among operators, with most reporting GGR below DKK25 million, while several leading companies each exceeded DKK100 million.
Concerns regarding responsible gambling remained prominent. The voluntary self-exclusion register, ROFUS, grew to 68,026 individuals, an increase of approximately 12,000 from late 2024. Men constituted 79% of registrants, and 69% were under 40 years old. The StopSpillet helpline received 727 inquiries in 2025, its highest volume since 2019. Over half (57%) of these calls originated from players themselves, with 40% from relatives. Alarmingly, 45% of player callers reported commencing gambling before the age of 18. Problem gambling was most frequently associated with online casino (62%) and online betting (22%), with an average severity score of 5.61 on a 0-9 scale, indicating moderate to severe issues.
Long-term trends show a decline in traditional gambling segments. Lottery revenue has decreased by 27.7% since 2012. While sports betting GGR remains 7.6% higher than in 2012, it has fallen from its peak in 2018. Physical gambling venues continue to contract; slot machine revenue has plummeted by 60.5% since 2012, and land-based casino revenue has fallen approximately 35%, with pandemic closures notably affecting figures between 2020 and 2022. Amidst these dynamics, industry players like Digitain have expanded into the Danish market. Arshak Muradyan, Group Chief Compliance Officer at Digitain, remarked, "Denmark is recognised for its strong compliance standards and mature gaming ecosystem, making this achievement particularly significant for our continued European growth strategy."