

Central Europe
Germany: Sales revenues from paid online services for games rises significantly once again
• 461 million euros generated by fees from online services
• More than 5 million people in Germany pay for online services
• German games industry tops 6-billion-euro mark
Sales revenue generated by fees from online services in Germany rose significantly once again. The segment grossed approximately 461 million euros in 2019, which is an increase of 30 per cent compared to 2018 (353 million euros) – and even that year, the segment had nearly doubled, with growth of 97 per cent. These are the figures released today by game – the German Games Industry Association, based on data collected by the market research company GfK. Fee-based online services are currently available in multiple versions and for a range of different gaming platforms. For example, services on consoles including Nintendo Switch Online, PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold offer options such as playing online with and against other players, saving games in the cloud and receiving discounts on games and expansions. Subscription services for PC such as Origin Access Premier (EA) and Uplay+ (Ubisoft) allow players to pay a fixed monthly fee to access a huge rotating library of games and to play some new games before the release date. With cloud gaming services such as Google Stadia Pro and PlayStation Now, on the other hand, gamers no longer need high-performance hardware to play titles with their full range of graphics, as the computing power to run the games is provided in the cloud. Monthly fees for online services can range from 4 to 10 euros, depending on the provider. Last year, a total of approximately 5.1 million gamers paid for these fee-based services, which is around 300,000 people more than in 2018 (4.8 million).
In Germany, growing numbers of gamers are discovering fee-based online services that give them access to an enormous selection of the latest hot titles, offers and discounts for a monthly fee. The strong growth in this segment also indicates how much the games market is currently changing: long-term access and usage rights for games are becoming much more important than purchasing individual titles,’ says Felix Falk, Managing Director of game. ‘Cloud gaming services are an interesting option for many gamers, particularly if we consider future trends and blockbuster titles that require a lot of processing power. All the heavy processing takes place in data centres, so the players themselves no longer need particularly high-performance hardware. There’s a lot going on in this budding market segment at the moment, and we expect to hear much more about it in future.’
German games market grows by 6 per cent
As already reported by game, the German games market grew by 6 per cent in 2019, to around 6.2 billion euros. Sales of games hardware, including consoles, gaming PCs and accessories, dropped by 2 per cent from the previous year, to 2.4 billion euros. In contrast, the market for games software showed a gain of 11 per cent: in 2019, a total of about 3.9 billion euros was spent on computer and video games and the charges for the respective online services.
About the market data
The current data takes into account further dedicated games hardware like gaming PCs and the corresponding accessories, resulting in a larger market size than previously reported. This is true also of the adjusted data for 2018, which accordingly differs from that reported last year.
The market data is based on statistics compiled by GfK, the GfK Consumer Panel and App Annie. The methods used by GfK to collect data on Germany’s digital games market are unique in terms of both their quality and their global use. They include an ongoing survey of 25,000 consumers who are representative of the German population as a whole regarding their digital game purchasing and usage habits, as well as a retail panel. The data collection methods provide a unique insight into the German market for computer and video games.
game – the German Games Industry Association
We are the association of the German games industry. Our members include developers, publishers and many other games industry actors such as esports event organisers, educational establishments and service providers. As a joint organiser of gamescom, we are responsible for the world’s biggest event for computer and video games. We are an expert partner for media and for political and social institutions, and answer questions relating to market development, games culture and media literacy. Our mission is to make Germany the best games location.
Central Europe
Brightstar Lottery Upgrades Retail Central System for Lotto Saxony in Germany via New Seven-Year Contract

Brightstar Lottery PLC announced that it will deploy its comprehensive retail central system technology, Aurora, along with advanced cloud-based software for Sächsische Lotto-GmbH (Lotto Saxony) in the State of Saxony, Germany via a seven-year contract. The contract was awarded to Brightstar following a competitive public procurement.
“The quality and reliability of Brightstar’s world-class lottery technology and operational support, along with its team’s knowledge of Lotto Saxony’s business needs are some of the reasons why we have partnered with the Company for 30 years. We look forward to upgrading our central system to Brightstar’s sophisticated platform and the many benefits its components will produce,” said Herr Frank Schwarz, Lotto Saxony Chief Executive Officer.
“This new seven-year contract marks an exciting chapter for Brightstar and Lotto Saxony as we work together to modernize lottery solutions throughout the state. Brightstar’s high-performing central system and peripherals will enable Lotto Saxony to manage its business more efficiently with the confidence in knowing the technology is secure, dependable, and responsible,” said Marco Tasso, Brightstar Chief Operating Officer International and Italy Operations.
An integral part of OMNIA, Brightstar’s player-centric, omnichannel solution for lotteries, Aurora helps drive lottery innovation and profitability. The platform will provide intuitive, user-friendly applications, tools and reporting capabilities to handle Lotto Saxony’s transaction processing, game management and back-office operations. Lotto Saxony will receive key cloud-based Aurora products including, Anywhere, to securely connect external applications to the retail system, and Performance Wizard, to deliver targeted insights and analytics.
The post Brightstar Lottery Upgrades Retail Central System for Lotto Saxony in Germany via New Seven-Year Contract appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Central Europe
Interwetten becomes team partner of SK Rapid

Yellow and black meets green and white! Interwetten becomes SK Rapid’s new team partner. The online sports betting pioneer and Austria’s most popular football club are starting the new season together. The combination with Rapid coach Peter Stöger, who has been an Interwetten expert for many years and will also remain on the sidelines, makes the partnership a real success.
With more than 24,000 club members and over 220 official fan clubs, the Austrian record champions boast the largest fan base in the country! And with the Allianz Stadium in Vienna’s West Hütteldorf, the Green-Whites boast a modern home! Interwetten is expanding its extensive football commitment to include a traditional club and will now be present at SK Rapid’s home games on a ball display or 3D carpet in the stadium, as well as on the Hütteldorf club’s digital channels.
“We are very pleased about the new team partnership with SK Rapid. The connection to a club with great charisma and passion is a perfect fit for Interwetten. And the best part: With our long-time expert Peter Stöger, we already have Rapid’s coach on board ,” explains Interwetten Marketing Director Dieter Grück , who promises fans a comprehensive experience in addition to betting.
Grück adds : “We are planning various digital activations throughout the season that will offer our customers and Rapid fans unique experiences. This will certainly include exclusive promotions with Peter Stöger. With this, we want to underline our connection with Austrian football.”
SK Rapid Managing Director Steffen Hofmann warmly welcomes the sports betting provider to the green and white partner family. “This partnership is a strong signal and demonstrates the trust placed in our club. Together, we are planning innovative activations and are convinced that the collaboration will be very successful. I am delighted that Interwetten is now part of the large green and white partner family.”
The post Interwetten becomes team partner of SK Rapid appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Central Europe
Scientific Games and Polish National Lottery Continue 20-Year Scratchcard Tradition as Sales Grow

Scientific Games will continue to bring exciting instant scratchcard games to Polish National Lottery players through a new agreement with Totalizator Sportowy. Celebrating the instant lottery’s 25th anniversary last year, Totalizator Sportowy is among the top five performing instant game lotteries in Europe (La Fleur’s 2025 World Lottery Almanac). The world’s largest lottery games company has provided scratchcards to Totalizator Sportowy for more than 20 years, with scratchcard game sales in Poland growing by 20% over the past three years (2022 to 2025).
“Our goal is to give our players entertaining scratchcard experiences while responsibly generating maximum proceeds for Polish sport and culture. We are delighted to continue working with Scientific Games to offer fun, modern scratch experiences,” said Katarzyna Woznica-Borkowska, Manager of Instant Products for Totalizator Sportowy.
Most recently, Scientific Games collaborated with Totalizator Sportowy to offer Polish players the PLN30 GIGA 7 game produced with the company’s advanced Dimension technology, which enhances the play experience with three-dimensional, reflection-at-different-angle refractions above and below the game graphics.
Currently, the company provides instant games to 110 government-regulated lotteries worldwide, including more than 50 European lotteries.
“Scientific Games is honored to continue our longtime relationship with Totalizator Sportowy that we have built across two decades,” said Paul Dures, Lottery Sales Director EMEA for Scientific Games. “We look forward to continuing our work to drive meaningful growth for the scratchcard games in Poland creating more innovative and attractive games for players.”
With products that generate more than 70% of global instant game retail sales, Scientific Games is the world’s largest instant games creator, producer and services provider, and the primary provider to nine of the Top 10 performing instant game lotteries in the world (La Fleur’s 2025 World Lottery Almanac).
The post Scientific Games and Polish National Lottery Continue 20-Year Scratchcard Tradition as Sales Grow appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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