This report covers average deposit amount, casino and sports betting amount, activity days and active customer retention rate across Greece, Italy, Spain and the UK for the 12-month period ending August 2026. All figures are based on Optimove’s proprietary igaming data, drawn from an average of 6.2 million active players per month across the four markets.
Key findings and insights
- Retention decline: The four countries experienced drops in retention rates, most likely related to summer holidays, the break in domestic leagues and lack of continued engagement among casual players who entered the system for the World Cup. Value metrics, on the other hand, showed positive growth, as did the average number of days of activity, indicating a deeper engagement among existing players.
- Sports betting momentum: The gradual return of European championships and a potential push by operators to deepen value engagement after the World Cup may have caused the volume of sports betting to rise broadly across the region in August, led by Spain (+39% month over month) and Greece (+27%), pointing to strong short-term sports engagement
- Player behaviour implication: The pattern across EU points to a necessity of pushing loyalty; operators may need to pair the current betting momentum with retention-focused campaigns to convert August’s activity into sustained engagement.
EU: Average deposit amount
Greece has held the highest average deposit throughout the period, ranging from $515 to $618 and closing the window at a 12-month trailing average of $558. Italy and Spain have moved in a narrower band around $280-$330, while the UK remains the lowest-spending market, averaging $255 over the full year.
All four markets showed higher deposits in August 2026 than in July. Spain saw the largest move, climbing from $254 to $324, a 28% increase, followed by the UK, up from $253 to $279. Greece and Italy grew more modestly, to $580 and $308, respectively.
Overall averages:
- Greece: August 2026: $580; 12-month trailing average: $558
- Italy: August 2026: $308; 12-month trailing average: $309
- Spain: August 2026: $324; 12-month trailing average: $287
- United Kingdom: August 2026: $279; 12-month trailing average: $255
Definition of ‘average deposit amount’: The average deposit amount is calculated by taking the total sum of all deposits and dividing it by the number of sports and casino bettors (players) who have made at least one deposit.
EU: Average total monthly casino betting amount
Spain leads EU casino betting by a wide margin, averaging $3,142 over the trailing 12 months compared with Greece’s $2,843, Italy’s $1,767 and the UK’s $1,207. Spain’s casino spend has fluctuated the most of the four markets over the period, moving between roughly $2,937 and $3,514.
In August 2026, Greece rose from $2,849 to $2,971 and the UK rose from $1,232 to $1,319, while Italy declined from $1,728 to $1,681 and Spain held essentially flat at $3,511.
Overall averages:
- Spain: August 2026: $3,511; 12-month trailing average: $3,142
- Greece: August 2026: $2,971; 12-month trailing average: $2,843
- Italy: August 2026: $1,681; 12-month trailing average: $1,767
- United Kingdom: August 2026: $1,319; 12-month trailing average: $1,207
Definition of ‘total monthly casino bet amount’: The average casino bet amount is the total sum of all casino bets divided by the number of bettors who have placed at least one casino bet.
EU: Average total monthly sports betting amount
Greece has the highest average sports betting spend over the trailing 12 months at $813, followed by Spain at $697, Italy at $472 and the UK at $348. Sports betting amounts across all four markets have fluctuated slightly from month to month over the period, with a more prominent drop in July 2026.
August brought a broad increase across the region. Spain jumped from $509 to $706, a 39% rise, and Greece climbed from $597 to $756. Italy and the UK also grew slightly to $448 and $343 respectively.
Overall averages:
- Greece: August 2026: $756; 12-month trailing average: $813
- Italy: August 2026: $448; 12-month trailing average: $472
- Spain: August 2026: $706; 12-month trailing average: $697
- United Kingdom: August 2026: $343; 12-month trailing average: $348
Definition of ‘total monthly sport bet amount’: The average sport betting amount is the total sum of all sports bets divided by the number of bettors who have placed at least one sports bet.
EU: Average number of activity days per active player
Greece consistently records the highest activity days of the four markets, averaging 11.6 over the 12-month period, while Italy is the lowest at 7.8. Spain and the UK sit in between, averaging 9.2 and 8.4 days, respectively, with both markets showing modest month-to-month fluctuation.
Activity days went slightly up across the board from July to August 2026: Greece rose from 11.1 to 11.3 days, Spain from 8.0 to 8.3, the UK from 8.1 to 8.5, while Italy held flat at 7.6.
Overall averages:
- Greece: August 2026: 11.3; 12-month trailing average: 11.6
- Italy: August 2026: 7.6; 12-month trailing average: 7.8
- Spain: August 2026: 8.3; 12-month trailing average: 9.2
- United Kingdom: August 2026: 8.5; 12-month trailing average: 8.4
Definition of ‘average activity days’: The total number of activity days divided by the number of casino and sports bettors who have at least one activity day.
EU: Average active customer retention rate
Greece has held the strongest retention over the past 12 months, averaging 84%, followed closely by Italy at 81%. Spain and the UK trail at 78% and 77%, respectively, though both have held in a relatively narrow band for most of the period.
Retention declined across every EU market in August. Spain posted the largest single-month move of the full 12-month window, falling from 80% to 57%. The UK declined from 76% to 69%, Greece from 83% to 80% and Italy from 80% to 78%.
Overall averages:
- Greece: August 2026: 80%; 12-month trailing average: 84%
- Italy: August 2026: 78%; 12-month trailing average: 81%
- Spain: August 2026: 57%; 12-month trailing average: 78%
- United Kingdom: August 2026: 69%; 12-month trailing average: 77%
Definition of ‘active retention rate’: The percentage of casino and sports bettors who were active in the preceding month and remained active in the current month.
The post Optimove: August sees retention dip in Europe but existing players drive betting increases first appeared on EGR Intel.
Analysis of an average of 6.2 million players across UK, Greece, Italy and Spain points to break in domestic leagues and drop-off from casual World Cup bettors as drivers for retention fall
The post Optimove: August sees retention dip in Europe but existing players drive betting increases first appeared on EGR Intel.