March 10, 2009 (InfoPowa News) — Italian gambling group Lottomatica SpA increased sports bets significantly in February compared with January 2009, experiencing a 17 percent increase in bets that took totals for the month to €58 million, and giving the firm a 15.2 percent market share, Agipro News agency reports.
The company took bets of €49.5 million in January, with a 14.4 percent market share, the specialist gambling sector news agency added.
In a breakdown of Italian government data, Agipro said sports betting market leader Snai handled €137.7 million in bets in February, representing a 36.2 percent market share, against €125.1 million achieved in January for a 36.4 percent share.
Lottomatica Managing Director Marco Sala told reporters and analysts that the company is growing its Italy sports betting market share as well as generating synergies with its online poker network.
Earlier in March, the government's AAMS gambling regulatory body said total sports betting rose 9.28 percent in February to €380.1 million, compared with the same period a year earlier.