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Cyprus Betting Industry: Key Growth Trends And Insights For Q3 2024

The Cypriot betting sector has shown consistent growth across both land-based and online platforms, continuing its positive trajectory through Q3 2024. The National Betting Authority (NBA) reported a 13% increase in revenue year-on-year, reflecting a robust performance despite changing dynamics in the market.

Revenue Breakdown: Strong Gains In Both Sectors

For the third quarter of 2024, total betting revenue reached €292 million, with €214.6 million generated by online operators (Class B), and €77.3 million coming from land-based operators (Class A). Online betting continues to dominate, with Class B showing a 14% growth compared to Q3 2023, and a notable 24% increase since Q3 2022.

  • Class A Operators: €77.3 million (+9% YoY)
  • Class B Operators: €214.6 million (+14% YoY)

Player Winnings: A Significant Increase

Player winnings across both categories rose to €255 million, a 10% increase compared to the same period last year. Notably, the majority of this total (€191.3 million) came from online players, showing continued dominance in digital betting.

  • Total Player Winnings: €255.2 million (+10% YoY)
  • Class A Winnings: €63.8 million
  • Class B Winnings: €191.3 million

Betting Earnings: Online Surge

Betting earnings showed an impressive increase across both land-based and online operators, with a combined total of €36.8 million. The most significant growth was observed in online betting (Class B), which saw a 48% rise year-on-year, compared to the 16% growth of land-based operators (Class A).

  • Total Betting Earnings: €36.8 million (+34% YoY)
  • Class A Earnings: €13.5 million (+16% YoY)
  • Class B Earnings: €23.3 million (+48% YoY)

Trends In Licensed Establishments And Employment

While the number of licensed land-based establishments fell slightly by 3% to 475, the sector remains widespread across Cyprus. The employee count in licensed establishments grew by 3%, reaching 1,518 individuals.

  • Licensed Locations: 475 (-3% YoY)
  • Employees in Betting Establishments: 1,518 (+3% YoY)

Illegal Betting And Regulatory Actions

The NBA’s commitment to fighting illegal betting continued in Q3 2024, with a 1% increase in the number of blocked illegal websites, bringing the total to over 20,700 sites. This effort reflects growing concerns over the regulation of online gambling in the region.

  • New Illegal Betting Sites Blocked: 259 sites (+1% from Q2 2024)
  • Total Blocked Sites: 20,733

The betting industry in Cyprus is experiencing sustained growth, driven primarily by online operators. The consistent increase in both revenue and player activity, along with the growing efforts to combat illegal betting, indicates that Cyprus is likely to maintain its upward momentum in the coming quarters.

Only 1% Of Cyprus Farms Use Precision Farming Technologies

Cyprus remains one of the European Union’s least digitised agricultural economies, with just 1% of farms using precision farming technologies in 2023, according to Eurostat.

The findings come as the EU continues to encourage the adoption of digital tools aimed at improving agricultural productivity, efficiency and sustainability.

Internet Access Expands, But Digital Uptake Lags

Internet access has improved across the bloc, although adoption remains uneven. Eurostat found that 43% of EU farms had internet access in 2023, with northern and central European countries leading the way.

Denmark, Germany, Slovakia, Latvia, the Czech Republic and Austria all reported internet access rates above 90%.

Greater connectivity, however, has not translated into widespread digital adoption. Farm management information systems, which help farmers manage day-to-day operations, were used by only about 11% of EU farms. France was a notable exception, with around 60% of farms using the technology.

Precision Farming Concentrated In Larger Operations

Robotics adoption also remained relatively limited, with only about 7% of EU farms using robotic technologies. Overall, around 18% of farms with utilised agricultural area employed at least one precision farming technology or practice in 2023.

These included robotics for plant protection, band spraying, variable-rate application, precision crop monitoring and soil analysis. Despite representing fewer than one in five farms, these holdings accounted for around 44% of the EU’s utilised agricultural area.

The figures suggest that precision farming remains concentrated among larger agricultural businesses, where investment in digital technologies is typically easier to support.

Cyprus Lags Behind EU Leaders

Luxembourg, Finland and Estonia recorded the highest shares of utilised agricultural area managed by farms using precision farming technologies, each exceeding 75%.

At the other end of the ranking, Cyprus recorded just 1%, while Greece and Romania reported between 10% and 15%. The results indicate that Cyprus remains at an early stage of digital adoption in agriculture, even as precision farming becomes more widespread across parts of the European Union.

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