Spain’s regulated iGaming market registered a 22.2% increase in revenue generated during the three months ended September 30, 2016. According to the quarterly report published by local gambling regulator, Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ), overall online gaming and betting revenue amounted to €103 million for the period in review.
The considerable growth was attributed to the online casino vertical which was supported by the introduction of online slot games to local players in the second quarter of 2015. Revenue from online casino operations totaled €28.4 million during the reported three months, up 56.7% year-on-year. Revenue from slots accounted for almost half of the online casino figure posted. Slot games generated the amount of €13.8 million.
Roulette was another major contributor with revenue of €10.6 million reported for the reviewed quarter. Live roulette proved to be particularly popular among local gambling customers, with revenue from the game growing 90.4% from the same quarter of the previous year to almost half of the roulette revenue generated. Blackjack contributed €4 million.
Revenue from sports betting amounted to €56.8 million, up 15% from the same quarter of 2015. The rise was attributed to improved turnover. In-play betting was the type of offering to generate the most during this year’s third quarter. It accounted for 53.2% of the overall sports betting revenue reported.
Revenue from online bingo operations in Spain increased almost 22% year-on-year to €2.2 million.
Although the general iGaming picture for the quarter was quite bright, online poker continued underperforming during the reviewed three months. Revenue from the segment totaled €13.8 million, down 4.3% year-on-year. Cash games contributed the amount of €6.4 million, down 9.7% year-on-year. Cash game stakes dropped 9.8% year-on-year. Revenue from online tournaments increased 0.85% from the same quarter of 2015 to €7.4 million. However, entry fees declined 8.6% during the period in review.
Online poker has continuously failed to prove itself a profitable segment, registering revenue drops over the quarters. Similarly to Italy and France, the Spanish online poker market is ring-fenced, which means that local players cannot participate in international pools.
Earlier this year, France adopted regulations that allowed for the country’s gambling regulator, ARJEL, to negotiate shared liquidity agreements with its counterparts from other European countries. According to recent reports, officials for Spain, Italy, and France have been discussing the opportunity but it is expected that a shared liquidity plan involving the three ring-fenced markets will not be materialized anytime soon.
