In 2025, online casinos have officially surpassed lotteries to become the largest segment of the Danish gambling market, as reported in the latest annual market review by the Danish Gambling Authority, Spillemyndigheden. This marks the first time this shift has been noted since Denmark partially liberalized its gambling market in 2012.
The report, titled Spilmarkedet i tal 2025, was released on Monday and included adjustments to the gross gambling revenue figures to reflect 2026 price levels and align with Denmark's GDP measures. This recalibration introduced discrepancies when comparing 2025 data with earlier reports. The publication of an updated channelization report has been postponed to later in 2026, pending further data verification, resulting in the exclusion of estimates for unlicensed online market activity.
Gambling revenue was slightly down in 2025, totaling DKK11.5 billion ($1.75 billion), a 1% decline (DKK116 million) compared to 2024. After adjusting for inflation and economic growth, this figure represents a 4.9% decrease from the 2012 baseline.
Online casinos led the market with a gross gambling revenue of DKK4.31 billion, making up 38% of the market and reflecting a 12.1% increase (DKK465 million) from the previous year. In contrast, monopoly lotteries, which include Lotto, Klasselotterier, and scratch tickets, generated DKK3.49 billion, accounting for 30% of the market, but this was a 6.2% decrease (DKK230 million) from 2024.
Sports betting saw a notable decline of 11.5% (DKK277 million), resulting in a total GGR of DKK2.13 billion, which represents 19% of the market share. Revenue from slot machines dropped to DKK1.18 billion, or 10% of total revenue, showing a fall of 6.8% (DKK86 million) year-on-year. Land-based casinos also experienced a decline of 5.6%, accumulating DKK378 million, which is 3% of the market. Newly permitted land-based bingo made its debut with a modest GGR of DKK30 million, contributing less than 1%.
The dominance of online gambling continued to grow, constituting 73% of the total GGR in 2025, up from 70% in 2024, a significant leap from just 33% in 2012. Mobile devices have become the primary means of online gambling, generating 73% of online revenue in 2025, compared to 27% in 2012. Among online casinos, 69% of revenue came from mobile platforms. Online slots were the most significant contributor in this segment, accounting for 82% of the online casino GGR at DKK3.54 billion, while roulette and blackjack represented about 6% each.
The iGaming landscape in Denmark has seen expansion, with Digitain entering the market in May. Arshak Muradyan, the group's chief compliance officer, remarked on Denmark's strong compliance standards and mature gaming ecosystem, emphasizing its importance for their growth strategy in Europe.
By the end of 2025, Spillemyndigheden had issued a total of 1,970 licenses across various gambling sectors. This included 41 licenses for online casinos, of which three were temporary, limited by revenue up to DKK1 million GGR, and 27 betting licenses, with two being revenue-limited. Additionally, 277 permits for physical slot machine operations were granted for 23,172 machines across the country. Twelve licenses for land-based bingo were introduced following the market's liberalization on January 1, 2025, while four monopoly holders maintained exclusive rights to major commercial lotteries.
The report also noted considerable variance among operators: while many reported GGR below DKK25 million, some of the larger enterprises exceeded DKK100 million each.
Concerns regarding responsible gambling continued in 2025, with the voluntary exclusion register (ROFUS) expanding to encompass 68,026 individuals, an increase of approximately 12,000 since the end of 2024. Among registrants, 79% were men, and 69% were under 40 years of age.
The helpline StopSpillet recorded 727 inquiries, the highest since its launch in 2019, just shy of 2019's total of 728 calls. Fifty-seven percent of these inquiries came from players, while 40% were from their relatives. Notably, 45% of player callers reported starting their gambling activities before 18 years old.
Problem gambling was predominantly associated with online casinos (62%) and online betting (22%). The average problem-gambling severity score was 5.61 on a 0-9 scale, identifying moderate to severe issues.
Examining the market's dynamics, lottery revenues decreased from DKK4.83 billion in 2012 to DKK3.49 billion in 2025, marking a decline of 27.7%. Sports betting, which peaked in 2018, showed revenues in 2025 that were still higher than those in 2012 by 7.6%, but lower than recent years. Betting payout rates averaged 89.7% in 2025. Meanwhile, physical gambling venues continued to decline, with slot machine revenue plummeting by about 60.5% since 2012, and land-based casino revenue decreasing roughly 35% due to pandemic-related effects from 2020 to 2022.
