Spain's gambling business is booming

The regulated gambling market in Spain is notable for its rapid growth in the third quarter of 2018.

Indicators published by the Spanish Gaming Regulator (DGOJ) show that local licensed online operators received revenues of about €182 million for three months, which is 8.7% more than in the second quarter of 2018 and 30% higher than with the same period last year.

Betting industry earned €97.6 million in the third quarter, which is 11.5% more than in the second quarter, and 27.4% more than in the previous year. Betting quotes fell slightly in the second quarter. The reason was the early departure of Spain from the 2018 Soccer World Cup.

Online casinos received an income of €60.9 million, which is a third more than in 2017. Slots revenue grew by almost 54% to €34.2 million, while roulette at land-based casinos brought in 31% more revenue (€11.9 million), and blackjack - by 10% (€6.1 million).

Online poker revenue grew by almost 11% over the same period last year and amounted to €19.8 million. Income from playing poker at land-based casinos increased by 24.5% to €7.4 million, while as revenues from tournaments grew by 42.3% (€12.4 million).

Marketing costs of Spanish licensed operators increased by 56.3% and amounted to €75.9 million. Competent marketing helped increase customer activity by almost one-third to 812 thousand, despite the fact that the average monthly number of new customer registrations decreased by almost 2% up to 232 thousand.

However, attracting new customers can be even more difficult if the Government of Spain makes every effort to reduce the advertising of gambling.