Spain’s Online Gambling Market Sees Growth in Q2 Despite Slight Decline from Q1
Online gross gambling revenue (GGR) in Spain reached €346.3m in Q2 2024, marking a 10.8% increase from the previous year, though slightly down by 1.2% compared to Q1, as reported by the Directorate General for Gambling Regulation (DGOJ).
Casino Remains the Leading Sector
Casino games continued to dominate Spain’s online gambling market, generating €171.7m, or 49.6% of total GGR in Q2.
This figure represents a 14.6% rise compared to last year and a 2.3% increase from Q1. Within the casino segment, slots posted significant growth, with GGR up 19.5% year-on-year, while live roulette revenue increased by 9.6%.
Despite these gains, both live and conventional roulette revenue experienced a quarter-on-quarter decline, although blackjack and slots saw improvements.
Mixed Results for Sports Betting
Sports betting brought in €145.5m in Q2, reflecting a 9.1% increase year-on-year but a 3.2% drop from Q1.
Pre-match football betting struggled, with a 10.3% decrease from last year, while in-play betting rose by 5.8%.
Other betting types saw a significant 36.6% increase, though horse racing betting suffered a 12.3% decline.
Other Market Segments: Poker and Bingo
Online poker experienced a 0.8% year-on-year dip, generating €25.6m in Q2, which was also 10.2% lower than Q1.
Bingo saw a modest 1.9% year-on-year increase to €3.6m, but this was 13.9% behind the previous quarter’s total. Contest GGR remained flat, reporting just €2,000 for the quarter.
Marketing Spend Continues to Climb
Marketing expenses surged 22.5% year-on-year to €120.2m, marking a 6.6% increase from Q1.
Promotional spend amounted to €62.3m, while €44.0m was directed towards advertising. Affiliates accounted for €12.8m, and sponsorship spend totaled €1.2m.
The rise in marketing spend followed the Spanish Supreme Court’s decision in April to overturn several restrictive advertising laws enacted in 2020.
Player Activity and Accounts
Player activity saw a marked increase in Q2, with total deposits into online accounts reaching €1.09bn, up 15.9% year-on-year and 5.6% ahead of Q1.
Withdrawals totaled €740m for the quarter. Active player accounts reached 1.4 million, with new game accounts rising 46.6% year-on-year to 446,586.
Operators and Licensing
By the end of Q2, Spain had 78 licensed online operators. Among these, 50 offered casino games, 42 provided sports betting, nine facilitated poker, four offered bingo, and two focused on contests.
