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Cypriot Betting Sector Remains Resilient Amid Market Transformations In Early 2025

Steady Revenues Amid Underlying Growth

Cyprus’ National Betting Authority announced that the nation’s betting industry maintained robust revenue levels in the first quarter of 2025, matching the figures recorded last year while demonstrating a significant leap from 2023. Combined gross revenues from both land‐based (Class A) and online (Class B) betting reached €320.9 million between January and March, up 20% from the previous year’s performance in 2023.

Performance By Channel

In detail, land‐based operators generated €87.8 million, reflecting a 4% increase over 2024 and a 14% rise compared to 2023. Meanwhile, online betting revenues, while slightly down 2% compared to last year at €233.1 million, still represent a 22% year‐on‐year improvement from 2023. Total player winnings amounted to €279.4 million, showing a modest 2% decline year‐on‐year but a solid 19% increase compared with two years earlier, with online players receiving €208.6 million of these winnings.

Enhanced Earnings And Operational Efficiency

Operators in both sectors witnessed a combined earnings boost to €41.5 million, marking a 15% rise relative to the €36.1 million earned in the first quarter of 2024. Land-based operators saw an 11% increase in earnings to €16.9 million, while the online segment enjoyed a 17% surge, reaching €24.6 million. Despite these positive figures, the number of licensed Class A premises experienced a 4% decline to 453, accompanied by a 5% reduction in staff numbers, now totaling 1,393. Additionally, license cancellations and withdrawals fell by 38% on a year‐on‐year basis, suggesting improved market stability and compliance.

Strengthening Measures Against Illegal Betting

The Authority remains committed to curbing unlawful betting activities. In a notable crackdown during the first quarter, 322 additional websites were added to the block list, bringing the total number of banned sites to 21,311. This initiative underscores the regulatory focus on maintaining a fair and secure betting environment.

Meta’s Muse Is Outpacing ChatGPT In Early Mobile Adoption, New Data Suggests

Meta’s new AI app, Muse, may be emerging as one of the company’s strongest consumer launches to date. Fresh estimates from market intelligence firm Apptopia suggest the app has outperformed ChatGPT in early mobile traction, at least in the U.S. and Canada.

According to Apptopia, Muse recorded more downloads in its first 12 days on the market than ChatGPT did during the comparable period after its mobile debut. The comparison, limited to the U.S. and Canada, puts Muse’s iOS downloads at 1.8 million versus 1.3 million for ChatGPT over the same initial window.

A Strong Early Start Across Platforms

In total, Muse has reached 2.8 million global installs in its first 12 days, according to the firm. The app’s momentum also appears to be holding. After debuting at No. 2 on the U.S. App Store, Muse has since climbed to No. 1, surpassing ChatGPT, according to reporting from Business Insider. Appfigures had previously estimated that Muse crossed 1 million downloads shortly after launch.

That early rise matters because app-store performance in the first days after launch often signals whether a product can sustain consumer attention beyond initial curiosity. In Meta’s case, the data suggests Muse is not simply benefiting from novelty; it is gaining ground quickly enough to challenge the category leader.

Daily Users Show Similar Momentum

Apptopia’s estimates point to another favorable comparison for Meta: daily usage. In the U.S. alone, Muse is said to have 642,000 daily active users, well above the 231,000 ChatGPT had at the same stage of its mobile rollout.

To make the comparison fairer, Apptopia also narrowed the analysis to iOS only, since ChatGPT launched on iPhone before expanding more broadly. Even under that tighter lens, Muse still comes out ahead, with 359,000 daily active users on iOS compared with ChatGPT’s earlier figure.

Why Meta Has An Advantage

Third-party estimates are not the same as internal company data, and Apptopia cannot see Meta’s proprietary numbers. Still, even directional data suggests Muse may be on track to become a meaningful consumer product for Meta.

That possibility is strengthened by Meta’s distribution advantage. The company has already demonstrated how powerful its ecosystem can be with Threads, which surpassed 500 million users after heavy promotion across Instagram and Facebook. Muse is likely to receive a similar boost, especially because it can connect across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Apptopia does not track Meta’s internal promotion strategy, but its data indicates that more than 95% of Muse users are also Facebook users, while 63% are Instagram users. That overlap underscores how effectively Meta can move users across its products when it chooses to prioritize a launch.

The Strategic Test For Meta

For Meta, the early signal from Muse is less about one app’s download count than about whether the company can turn its scale into durable AI adoption. The first test is attention. The harder one is retention.

If Muse can convert early downloads into habitual use, Meta may have found a new front door into its AI ambitions. If not, the app risks becoming another example of how easily mobile hype can spike before settling back down.

Meta, which was asked for comment, has not yet released public figures on Muse’s early adoption.

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