Europe’s sports betting market has gained quite momentum in recent years, with millions of sports fans across the continent wagering billions of euros on the outcome of an event or game. Although the frequency of sports bets varies from country to country, the vast majority of wagers are placed on football, as the most popular sport to bet on in Europe. However, there are significant differences between the wagers in each of the European football leagues.
According to data presented by Safebetting, English Premier League generated over €68bn of wagers worldwide, more than Serie A and Bundesliga matches combined.
Premier League Matches Brought 70% More Wagers than Spanish or Italian Football Leagues
Football betting is by far the most popular type of gambling in Europe, with the United Kingdom and Italy as the leading markets. While some sports fans wager on the outcome of the event or match to make money, others take pleasure in getting into the middle of the action.
According to a Statista data and Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio 2021 study, the total amount wagered in the sports betting market worldwide amounted to roughly €1.5trn last year, and European football made around €188bn or 12% of that value.
When looking at the global amount wagered on European football, the Premier League recorded the highest figure last season. Statistics show that in 2020, bets on Premier League matches generated over €68 billion worldwide or 70% more than matches in Spanish La Liga or Italian Serie A.
According to the survey, the global amount wagered on La Liga hit around €41bn last season. Italian Serie A, German Bundesliga, and French Ligue 1 followed, with €38.4bn, €27.8bn, and €11.8bn, respectively.
European Football Industry Earned Nearly €425M in Revenue from Betting Sponsors in 2020/21 Season
Besides bringing hundreds of millions of euros in wagers, gambling companies have had a considerable role in generating revenue for the European football clubs through different betting sponsorship agreements.
According to the GlobalData survey, the European football industry earned around €425 million in revenue from betting sponsors in the 2020/21 season, or 78% of the betting industry’s overall sponsorship spend within Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Due to its massive TV audience, English Football League was the biggest beneficiary of this. Statistics show that professional football clubs from England earned over €122 million in the 2020/2021 season, more than double that of any other European market. Spanish football was estimated to make over €60 million from the betting industry, while another €49 million was spent on German football.