Spanish Gambling Revenue Posts 13.8% Increase in 2020

Sports betting had the biggest share with regards to Spain’s total gross gaming revenue (GGR) with €365.14 million out of €850.78 million, despite its annual decrease of 7.1%.

Gambling Consumption Increases During the Pandemic

Spain’s gross gaming revenue (GGR) for 2020 amounts to €850.78 million ($998 million), up 13.7% year-over-year, according to the latest report by the Spanish gambling regulator Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ).

Deposits and withdrawals continued on the rise with an increase of 19.48% and 21.1% in annual terms respectively. Marketing spending from operators increased by 24.23% to reach €462.12 million in 2020 compared to the previous year.

Promotions soared by 52.94%, advertising was up 9.14%, sponsorship reported a 28.78% increase, while affiliates decreased by 2.15%. The number of active gamblers rose 8.36% to reach 1,481,804.

In an interview for Europa Press, the Minister of Consumer Affairs Alberto Garzón commented on the increase in gambling consumption during the pandemic. Garzón highlighted that despite the reduced working hours of gambling venues, the chances of potential health problems have increased greatly.

Betting was the major contributor to the total GGR with €365.14 million or 42.92%, although it reported a 7.1% year-on-year decrease. It was followed by casino with 41.23% (€350.8 million), poker with a 12.96% share (€110.3 million), as well as bingo with €16.52 million (1.94%), and contests with €8.01 million (0.94%).

The report highlighted two major events during the year. The first one was the restrictions on the advertising and promotions in place between April 4 to June 10 to prevent the negative consequences of Covid-19 on gambling consumption. The other one was the adoption of Royal Decree 958/2021 on November 3 regarding commercial communications of gambling activities.

GGR Up in Fourth Quarter Too

Figures corresponding to the last quarter show that total GGR amounted to €231.26 million, which equals a 20% increase quarter-over-quarter and a 24.82% rise year-over-year. Deposits and withdrawals were up 25.21% and 27.41% respectively. Marketing expenditure took a slight dip of 2.49% compared to the previous quarter, while new accounts reported an 18.55% increase with respect to the previous quarter.

During the quarter, there were 80 licensed operators and the number of active operators by segment was betting with 46 entities, bingo with three, casino with 51, contests with two, and poker with nine.

Marketing spending in 4Q2020 amounted to €148.83 million. It corresponded to €12.23 million in affiliation expenses, €9.24 million in sponsorship, €56.33 million in promotions, and €71.03 million in advertising.