Gambling in Spain Flourished in Q3 2022

With the world economy beginning to normalise in many respects, it has been interesting to see which gambling jurisdictions saw positive momentum in 2022. In this regard, one of the sleeper regions has been Spain, where, according to the 2022 Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) reports, the market has seen incredible growth in gross gaming revenue (GGR) and active player accounts.

Facts Spanish Market Overview

Generating €240.83 million in the third quarter of 2022 means that gambling in Spain grew by more than 18% compared to Q2 2022 and 31.29% compared to Q3 2021.

This remarkable result combines several factors, including increased marketing ad spend, increased player deposits and a reduction in overall withdrawals. Remember that marketing spending is not limited to advertising and sponsorship costs but also includes player-facing bonuses, promotions, prizes, and competitions.

The gambling community in Spain responded positively to these initiatives by increasing deposits to more than €809 million. Compared to the previous quarter, this is an increase of 4.6% but 26.72% over 2021!

Player withdrawals amounted to more than €562 million, equating to an annual increase of 24.85%, even if it was slightly down over the second quarter of 2022.

More Details Break Down by Gambling Type

The Spanish gambling market comprises casinos, betting, bingo, and poker. Here is a high-level view of how each performed:

Betting: This segment showed an increase of 48.61% compared to 2021, with direct bets (+76.04%) and sports betting (19.21%) leading the charge.
Casino: This segment grew by 27.55% comparative to 2021, with slots (+27.89%) and live roulette (+37.79%) being the most prominent products.
Bingo: This segment continues to show value with a 4.64% increase over its 2021 counterpart.
Poker: This segment increased by a moderate 2.83% over the same period in 2021. Poker tournaments were the most significant market at +3.95%.

The DGOJ report split GGR by product as follows:

Quote

“The €240.83 million of GGR is distributed in €89.04 million in Bets (36.97%); €3.68 million in Bingo (1.53%); €127.95 million in Casino (53.13%), €0.03 million in Contests (0.01%) and €20.14 million in Poker (8.36%).”

It is heartening to see that games of chance continue to dominate the market despite local punters being avid sports fans. When the Q4 figures are released, we expect to see sports betting take the lead. The FIFA World Cup took place in November and December, and with Spain's love of soccer, it should dominate the market's spending and gambling behaviours.

Slots Active Player Accounts

Despite concerns by industry analysts that the pandemic would drive a marked spike in online gambling accounts, recent reporting has proven that all that took place was a shift of offline players to online casinos without an overall increase in the number of players.

However, in 2022 the Spanish gambling market has seen 109,312 new player accounts being opened per month. The DGOJ report showed an active player base of 999,322 in the year's final quarter. While this represents a minor decrease over the third quarter, it resulted in annual growth of 9.18%, depositing and wagering players.