Slots and sports boost Spain’s online gambling revenue

Spain’s online gambling market reported double-digit growth in the first quarter of 2020, with all gaming verticals reporting strong year-on-year improvements.

Figures released Friday by Spain’s Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ) regulatory body show locally licensed online operators generated revenue of just under €218m in the three months ending March 31, up 12.5% from the same period last year and 17.6% better than the final quarter of 2019, which suffered a rare example of negative growth.

Sports betting remained the dominant vertical with revenue of €110.6m in Q1, up 8.6% year-on-year and nearly one-quarter higher than Q419. In-play betting revenue increased 4% to €61.3m despite in-play turnover falling 18.5% year-on-year. Pre-match wagering mirrored this pattern, with revenue rising 13.1% to €46.3m despite turnover falling 10%.

Casino revenue was up 8.3% year-on-year to €77.6m, thanks to strong growth in slots (€43.2m, +15.7%), live roulette ( €18.4m, +35.6%) and traditional roulette (€10.7m, +16.7%). On the flip side, blackjack revenue was down 17.1% to €5.3m while baccarat was off nearly 80% to just €614k.