Spanish igaming market boosted by sports and casino in Q1

Improved performances from both the sports betting and casino verticals helped push Spanish online gaming revenue up 20.1% year-on-year in the first quarter.

Gross gaming revenue for the Spanish igaming market for the three months to March 31, 2019 amounted to €193.3m (£170.9m/$216.2m), up from €163.3m in the same period last year and also an improvement of 2.14% on €189.2m posted in the final quarter of 2018.

Figures from Spain’s igaming regulator, La Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ), show betting as the main source of income for licensed operators in the market, with revenue up 26.2% from €81.7m in Q1 last year to €100.8m. Sports betting accounted for 52.2% of the total market in the quarter.

There was also significant growth in the online casino vertical, with revenue up 20.2% from €56.6m to €67.1m, making it responsible for 34.7% of the Spanish igaming market in Q1.

However, the poker vertical struggled in Q1. Revenue dipped 1.4% year-on-year to €21.2m, while bingo revenue also slipped 8.6% to €3.2m.

Aside from overall revenue, marketing costs within the Spanish igaming market were also up by 21.4% to €92.3m. Licensees spent €47.9m on advertising during the quarter, as well as €29.3m on promotions, €10.2m on affiliation costs and €4.9m on sponsorship.

However, this higher spending seemingly helped to boost player growth, with average monthly active accounts rising 13.1% year-on-year to 900,513.