Second Quarter Gambling Revenue in Spain Soars by 55%

Spain represents an important gambling market on the Old Continent. Currently, the country offers online gambling, as well as sports betting, bingo and fantasy contests. Recently, the gambling regulator in Spain, the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling, released its most latest report, revealing details regarding the performance of licensed gambling operators for the second quarter of 2023.

Based on the recent figures, Q2 of this year marked a busy period for gambling operators that reported gross gambling revenue (GGR) of €312.6 million ($332.5 million). A quarter-over-quarter comparison for the GGR reveals that for the second quarter of this year, it increased by 2.52%. However, a year-over-year comparison shows that GGR skyrocketed. Comparing the €312.6 million ($332.5 million) GGR result from Q2 this year to the corresponding period in 2022 shows an increase of 55.06%.

Moreover, the report reveals that the number of deposits soared as well. Overall, the gambling sector in Spain saw some €925.9 million ($984.7 million) in deposits. This result represented a staggering 19.62% increase year-over-year. In contrast, the quarter-over-quarter comparison for the number of deposits marked a slight 2% decrease.

Surprisingly, in Q2 this year, there were fewer accounts created. Overall, the new accounts created for the quarter were 308,412, marking a 2.96% decrease year-over-year and a 7.71% decrease quarter-over-quarter. Despite the decreased number of accounts, GGR and deposits soared, meaning that fewer players were able to impact positively on the figures, resulting in a busy period for the gambling sector in the country.

Casino and Sports Betting Responsible for the Lion’s Share of GGR

A breakdown of the €312.6 million ($332.5 million) in GGR shows that sports betting and casino were responsible for the majority of the revenue. Overall, casino gambling GGR was €149.9 million ($159.4 million), representing nearly 47.94% share of the total. Similarly, sports betting was responsible for €133.3 million ($141.8 million) or 42.62% of the total. Poker activities were responsible for 8.24% of the GGR or some €25.76 million ($27.4 million), while bingo contributed €3.54 million ($3.8 million) or 1.13% of the total GGR posted in Q2.

Earlier this month, Spain launched a second consultation on deposit limits. As a form of protection for young adults, the country seeks to implement further restrictions that safeguard individuals between the ages of 18 and 25. The second consultation is set to run through October 16, 2023.

The changes to the gambling sector seek to implement a deposit limit system that doesn’t allow users to exceed a preset threshold. The system is planned to be implemented for the whole online gambling sector in Spain, ensuring that gamblers cannot use multiple accounts to wager more than the set limit.