(AsiaGameHub) –   Sustained momentum in Lottomatica’s online operations enabled the company to post modest GGR gains in Q1, although low hold weighed on year-on-year revenue in its betting segment.

On Wednesday, Lottomatica reported results for the three months ended 31 March, showing year-on-year GGR growth of 2% to €1.25 million.

Revenue rose slightly by 3% to €602 million, while adjusted EBITDA for the quarter reached €236 million, up 7%.

Double-digit expansion in the online division drove Lottomatica’s Q1 revenue and EBITDA growth, with online revenue hitting €264.7 million, a 10% increase.

Online gains helped counterbalance stable performance in the gaming segment and a 5% dip in sports betting revenue.

Sports betting revenue declined to €142.4 million from €150.4 million in the same quarter last year.

This occurred despite an 11% rise in total betting volume to €12.4 million during Q1, as Lottomatica faced less favourable sports payouts compared with Q1 2025.

Lottomatica chairman and CEO Guglielmo Angelozzi pointed to robust momentum across the group’s addressable markets and indicated the business is on track to reach the upper limit of its FY2026 adjusted EBITDA guidance of between €940 million and €980 million.

The company also anticipates returning up to €1 billion to shareholders across 2026 and 2027.

Lottomatica makes Q1 market share gains

Lottomatica’s share of the Italian online market in Q1 stood at 31.8%, up 1.4% from Q1 2025.

It lifted its iSports market share by 0.7% to 32.5% and raised its iGaming share by 1.9% to 32.2%.

The company noted the “good progression” achieved by its PlanetWin365 (PWO) brand, relaunched after the €639 million acquisition of SKS365 in April 2024.

PWO’s total sports market share has recovered to 9%, matching pre-migration levels, while its iGaming market share reached 5.5% in Q1, regaining half of the share lost during the platform transition.

No concerns from Lottomatica over prediction markets

After gaining traction in the US, prediction markets are now drawing attention across the Atlantic, with several regulators moving to restrict them.

France’s regulator, l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux, blocked operator Polymarket in 2024 and reiterated earlier this year that prediction markets are considered illegal.

Polymarket has also faced restrictions in other European markets including Germany and Belgium, as well as Italy in October 2025.

Lottomatica characterised prediction markets as a “non-issue”, citing their illegality in Italy and a lack of demand for the single and pre-match bets that underpin their sports offerings.

During the post-Q1 investor call, Angelozzi added: “The product/consumer mismatch continues to be strong. We don’t believe there is any market space [for prediction markets].”