Betting and casino boost igaming in Spain

Sports betting and casino boosted gaming revenues in Spain by 25.5 per cent when compared to last year.

Spain’s igaming regulator La Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ) has published the financial reports of 2018. As per the report, total market gross gaming revenue increased to €669.3m (£599.5m/$784.5m), with customer deposits rose by 53.5 per cent to €2.5bn.

Sports betting GGR was up by 18.1 per cent to €365.1m, accounting for 52.2 per cent of the market total. Players wagered €7.0bn on sports during the year, a 27.8 per cent rise from 2017, with in-play betting proving particularly popular.

Live betting accounted for €4.8bn – or 68.3 per cent – of amounts wagered, followed by pre-match, fixed-odds betting which was responsible for €2.0bn (28.9 per cent) of stakes.

While betting was the largest vertical in terms of revenue, casino grew rapidly in 2018, with GGR up 38.9 per cent to €238.0m, giving it a 34.0 per cent share of the Spanish market. Players staked €8.2bn on casino games, up 33.1 per cent year-on-year, predominantly playing slots.

Slot machines accounted for €130.2m of revenue, up 50.6 per cent, far ahead of the second most popular game, live dealer roulette, with generated revenue of €47.1m.

Spanish poker, boosted by the cross-border network with France and Portugal, enjoyed a strong year. GGR was up 37.1 per cent to €81.8m, with cash game stakes and tournament fees rising 31.1 per cent to €2.1bn.