Spanish online gambling revenue tracks 15.1 per cent higher in Q1

Revenue for the first quarter totalled €350.7m.

Spain.- Gross online gambling revenue in Spain was €350.7m in the first three months of the year. That’s a 15.1 per cent increase from Q1 2023 and an 11.2 per cent rise from the previous quarter.

According to figures from the Spanish gambling regulator, DGOJ, online casino was again the main driver, contributing €167.8m, 47.8 per cent of all online gambling revenue. This was up 17 per cent year-on-year but down 2.1 per cent from Q4 2023. Within this, the standout performers were slots, up 15 per cent, and roulette, up 22 per cent.

Meanwhile, sports betting revenue came in at €150.3m, representing 42.9% of all revenue. The figure was up 15.4 per cent from the first quarter of 2023 and 31 per cent from Q4. Pre-match betting revenue was up by 588.8 per cent while in-play revenue was down 31.7 per cent. Other bet types saw a rise of 1.6 per cent, but horse racing betting revenue fell by 28.4 per cent.

Poker revenue was up 4 per cent at €28.5m (8.1 per cent of all revenue), with increases in revenue from both tournament and cash games. Bingo revenue was up 24.9 per cent at €4.2m, while revenue from contests fell 99.4% to approximately €2,000.

At the end of the quarter, Spain had 78 licensed online gambling operators: 50 offering online casino, 41 betting, nine poker, four bingo and two contests. Total deposits were up 15.9 per cent at €1.09bn while withdrawals rose 13.9 per cent to €740m, and the number of new accounts rose by 33.6 per cent to 446,586. 

Marketing spending was also up in Q1, rising 14.9 per cent year-on-year to €112.8m. Some €55.7m was spent on promotions, €41.8m on advertising, €14.3m on affiliates and €1.1m on sponsorship. 

Last month, the DGOJ initiated work on data administration policies and practices for the creation of a common centralised registry of gambling data. The registry would compile customer data from all Spanish-licensed gambling operators to provide a holistic view of activity.

DGOJ director general Mikel Arana has taken input from the Sectoral Commission, the General Assembly’s  advisory body for policy and federal and directives. Initial discussions are focusing on improving data integration across public administrations and integrating the data into a comprehensive report on gaming activity.