Spanish Gaming Posts $333M in Q1 GGR

Spain’s Directorate General of Gaming (DGOJ) has published a report on the industry’s performance in the first quarter of the year. While gross gaming revenue experienced a slight quarter-on-quarter decline, the figures represent an impressive year-on-year increase.

As reported, GGR experienced a slight drop from Q4 2022, declining by 2.8%. The higher Q4 number, however, was attributed to the boost that last year’s FIFA World Cup Qatar provided.

In the meantime, the $333 million in GGR the Spanish industry recorded in Q1 2023 represents a spectacular 51% year-on-year increase.

Sports betting continues to be one of the most popular gambling verticals in the country and was responsible for a whopping 42.8% of the Q1 GGR. The FIFA World Cup has a profound effect on wagering in Q4 2022, resulting in a 7.65% quarter-on-quarter decline in Q1 2023. In reality, the Q1 sports betting results represent a stellar year-on-year increase of 100.10%.

Casino revenues remained more stable since they were largely unaffected by the FIFA World Cup championship. The segment was singlehandedly responsible for 47.02% of the Q1 2023 GGR, making it the biggest contributor.

During the first quarter of the year, Spanish casino gaming recorded a GGR of $156.6 million, which represents a 0.64% quarter-on-quarter growth. The figure also translates to a respectable year-on-year increase of 29.19%. The growth was largely thanks to the rising popularity of live roulette and slot machines, which experienced growths of 32.19% and 31.29% respectively.

Spanish Gaming Remains Strong

Q1 was a very favorable period for Spanish gaming. The industry proved its capacity to grow in spite of Spain’s newly introduced advertising rules.

For reference, in 2022, Spain introduced a Royal Decree on Communications which restricted gambling advertisements, promotions and sponsorships. As a result, companies recorded fewer new customers, with the silver lining being that operators no longer need to spend huge sums on marketing.

However, the Q1 2023 figures show that the industry is more than capable to maintain its growth despite the new restrictions it has to deal with. This highlights Spain as a strong gambling market that is capable to navigate complex and restrictive regulatory frameworks.

In the meantime, Spain continues to work on a cross-operator deposit limit system that will improve player protection in the country. The DGOJ believes that such a system is vital for establishing a safer market where players are encouraged to spend responsibly.