X-ray on Spain’s gaming market

The Directorate General on Gaming (DGOJ) recently published the Annual Report on Gaming in Spain 2019. The report presents data on the Spanish gaming market, both online and in-person, for 2019, as well as how the different segments of the gaming sector have evolved in recent years.

Below we summarize the main conclusions of the latest Annual Report on Gaming in Spain issued by the DGOJ:

• Gross Gaming Revenue or GGR in 2019 (that is, the total amount wagered minus the bonus and prizes paid by the operator) was €1.4495 billion for in-person gaming (including casino games, betting and bingo) and €790.8 million for online. The GGR from betting, both in person and online, was €860.9 million, while lotteries amassed €4.5439 billion. The data show a widespread rise in the GGR in all segments of gaming except the in-person gaming sector, where casino games and betting in person saw a slight decline.
• The Amount Wagered (that is, the total amount paid by players in exchange for consideration) reached €6.0963 billion in the in-person gaming market compared to €19.26 billion in the online market. The figure was €9.5659 billion in the betting sector (in person and online) and €11.4186 billion in the lotteries sector (in person and online). This shows an increase in all the gaming segments analyzed.
• In the online gaming market in particular, the GGR was €790.8 million in 2019. With regard to the distribution of GGR by gaming types, betting leads the way with 51.1% of the total, followed by online casino games, with 44.8%. While the GGR has fallen slightly compared to the 2018 data (-2.61%), the Amount Wagered reached €19.26 billion, an increase of around 8.2% over 2018.

The DGOJ has also just updated the Online Player Profile Analysis with the 2019 data. The regulator has prepared this report since 2014, aiming to analyze gamers’ gaming profile, analyzing information related to activity level, gaming preferences, average spend and the spend/prize ratio, among other points. We present the more significant aspects of that analysis below:

• Based on the data presented, in 2019, there was a total of 1,367,300 active players, an annual decline of 7.2% compared to 2018 (when there were 1,473,305 active players). This fall in the number of players was seen in all age brackets and with regard to all gaming segments, except bingo, which grew 1.99%.
• Despite this decline in the number of active players, 2019 saw an increase in both the number of deposits (which rose 11.51% compared to 2018) and the number of transactions (11.22% compared to 2018).
• The data also show that the gaming segments with the highest number of players are betting, with 999,802 players, although this represents the greatest rate of decline from the previous year (-12.4%) and casinos, with 570,842 players.
• The annual net average spend, calculated for online players, was €513. However, this figure rises to €797 among players between 36 and 45 years of age, and to €740 among 46-55 year-olds. Players aged between 18 and 25 spend the least, on average, €215 a year.

Both reports offer a wide range of detailed information on the different aspects of the gaming market in Spain. Furthermore, the tool used to present the data also makes it possible to obtain an interactive breakdown based on different variables and, in the case of the Annual Report on Gaming in Spain 2019, the data can be downloaded.

Authors: Mònica Ferrer and Ainhoa Rey