The French online gaming sector posted revenue of €587m ($715m/£505m) for the first quarter of 2021, representing a 35% increase on the same period last year.

According to the statistics posted by France’s gaming regulator ANJ, the increased revenue can be attributed partly to a 19.1% increase in active player accounts to 3.1 million.

Sports betting in particular was was subject to massive growth. The €2.18bn wagered by players was a 78.8% increase on a 2020 heavily impacted by a suspension of sporting events caused by the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic late in the quarter.