Sportsbook surge drives Spanish market to highest level
Figures from DGOJ show Spain's online gambling market grew 10% year-on-year as sportsbook enjoyed a strong quarter
Spain’s regulated market grew by 10% during the first three months of 2014 as a vastly improved sportsbook performance helped the market record its best figures to date.
Total gross gaming revenues (GGR) for the three months ended 31 March reached 66.9m, up on the 60.9m posted during the comparative period in 2013 and a rise of 12% sequentially.
The growth can be attributed to a strong sportsbook performance as the vertical saw GGR grow 23% year-on-year to 37.3m for the quarter, making up 56% of the entire Spanish market.
Casino GGR remained relatively stable at 8.7m ahead of expected slots implementation around the turn of the year while poker GGR declined 5% to 17.4m.
Active player numbers also received a boost with Q1 numbers up 10% year-on-year and 9% sequentially to 326,840.
Spanish gaming consultant Eduardo Morales-Hermo said the figures were a welcome shot in the arm for a market which had been in decline for much of 2013.
“Overall the online gaming figures seemed to awaken after the previous quarters and the real winner is sports betting,” Morales-Hermo said.
“And that trend will most probably continue to drive the increase in Q2 with the last matches of the different football leagues, the Champions League and football World Cup in June,” he added.
The Spanish sports betting market is set to welcome a new entrant in the coming weeks with 888 putting the final touches to the imminent launch of its Kambi Sports Solutions-powered sportsbook.