Spanish online gambling market – key figures for 2018

The Directorate-General for Gambling Regulation (DGOJ) has just published its 2018 annual activity report describing the main characteristics of the Spanish online gambling market. The report confirms the sector’s growth in Spain—25% increase in 2018 with gross gaming revenues (GGR) of approximately EUR 700 million.   

Among the most successful online gambling products, sports betting represents slightly more than 52% of the Spanish market (a 18% growth compared to 2017). Live betting is particularly popular, clearly outperforming conventional betting. Casino games have accounted for approximately 34% of the market activity, with a growth of nearly 40% with respect to 2017.

Virtual gaming machines are the most popular in this segment, with a market share of 18% and a significant growth of over 50% compared to 2017.

Poker maintains its market presence with a global share of approximately 12%. These figures are likely to evolve in a similar direction in 2019, when new licensed operators will start their activities in Spain.

In this context of growth, the DGOJ has increased its intervention to ensure compliance with the regulatory framework. According to the report, the authorities have initiated 36 sanctioning proceedings and imposed sanctions for an overall amount of EUR 4.3 million. The most frequent infringements sanctioned by the DGOJ relate to the unauthorized distribution of lottery products and unlicensed online gambling offers.

The Spanish authorities have continued their efforts to prevent fraud in sports competitions, with 580 interventions since the DGOJ launched the Betting Market Global Investigation Service (SIGMA). These interventions have focused mainly on professional football and tennis, triggering investigations and sanctioning proceedings.

As stated above, the Spanish online gambling market will probably continue to grow in 2019, which will require increased monitoring by the Spanish authorities.

Autor: Albert Agustinoy