Spanish gambling earnings experienced a significant boost in the final quarter, with a 78.2% rise compared to the same period last year. This surge was primarily driven by the robust performance of the sports wagering sector.
The Spanish regulator, the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ), reported that total gambling revenue for the three-month period reached €313.3 million (£274.7 million/$334.2 million), marking a 27.1% increase from the €240.8 million recorded in the third quarter of 2022.
Specifically, sports betting revenue reached €141.4 million, representing a substantial 223.4% year-on-year growth (up 52.8% quarter-on-quarter) and accounting for 45.1% of the total gambling revenue for the quarter.
The DGOJ highlighted the strong performance of pre-match betting, which saw a 108.5% increase quarter-on-quarter. Live betting also experienced growth, rising by 13.8%, while other betting categories saw an increase of 86.8% and horse racing betting rose by 63.6%.
Turning to the casino sector, revenue increased by 32.4% to €142.3 million, representing a 32.4% year-on-year growth and an 11.1% increase compared to the third quarter. This sector contributed 45.4% of the total gambling revenue in the fourth quarter, slightly surpassing the share of sports betting.
Slot machine revenue saw a 27.3% year-on-year increase, while live roulette revenue also experienced a significant rise of 51.7%.
Poker revenue also saw a positive trend, increasing by 26.8% year-on-year to €26.1 million, accounting for 8.3% of the total market. In contrast, bingo revenue declined by 11.5% to €3.6 million, and competition revenue also experienced a decrease of 36.7% to €30,000.
Promotional expenses are on the rise.
This period, marketing expenses hit €106.4 million, a 13.9% increase year-over-year and a 30.1% increase quarter-over-quarter. This includes €51.7 million in promotional outlays, €38.7 million in sponsorship outlays, and €14.6 million in affiliate outlays.
The number of active gaming accounts continues to climb. This period, the average monthly active gaming accounts were 1,185,452, a 22.9% increase year-over-year and a 21.1% increase quarter-over-quarter. The average monthly new gaming accounts were 131,095, a 21.6% decrease year-over-year but a 23.9% increase quarter-over-quarter.
As of the end of this period, there were 78 authorized operators in Spain, including 54 casino operators, 45 betting operators, 9 poker operators, 3 bingo operators, and 2 competition operators.
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