The Landscape of Online Gambling in Spain

Last year’s reports about land-based and online gambling in Spain highlight the gradual recovery of the country’s economy.

Spanish people have a huge appetite for gambling, at least this is what experts say. According to a book about daily life in Spain, they’re a “nation of gamblers” who “bet a higher proportion of their income than almost any other nation.” However, the financial crisis had a negative effect on the blooming Spanish gambling market. After the collapse of the country’s economy the state of gambling revenues was a good indicator of Spain’s actual situation. Sticking with our theme, it’s obvious that there’s a big problem when the gambling nation abandons their casinos.

The growth spurt of online gambling in Spain

The fact that 2014 was the first year since 2008 to show higher annual growth in gambling is telling. Besides the recovering economy, the growth was prompted by bettered, therefore more effective marketing strategies. This is true to almost all sectors of the economy. In the same year, the number of registered members at Spanish online gambling sites has also increased. There were almost 28% more Spanish online casino players, numbering to a total of approximately 3,9 million. More than a half of active players were freshly registered.

In 2015, Spain’s gambling revenue has continued to grow. The first quarter numbers amounted to a 24,5% increase, compared to the corresponding period in 2014. The reports showed that the majority of players stick to one operator. Only a really small percent had accounts at more than one Spanish online casino. In both years, sports betting was the leading type of online gambling, followed in order by poker, casino and bingo games.

Recovering the Spanish online gambling market

There was another important factor that contributed to the overall growth of the Spanish online gambling market. In the previous years, gambling authorities have implemented numerous new Spanish gambling laws that eased the situation of operators. After the creation of a compact framework, more and more operators offered their services in Spain. Learning from Italy, they authorities approved online slots in Spain. Following this permission, renowned companies like Playtech have started to supply online casinos licensed in Spain. Furthermore, Spain’s gambling regulator has issued more licenses in order to fight unregulated gambling and to open the door for even bigger revenues.

The regulation of gambling advertisement became stricter in order to protect younger audiences. The regulatory body fixed the time for Spanish online gambling advertisements, both classic and embedded. Considering the development of the Spanish gambling market, the upcoming statistics should be satisfying as well. Now, after some difficulties, Spain’s stays as a great example for a well-regulated and profitable online gambling scene. Stay tuned for the numbers of 2015’s second half.