Many Spanish punters still use unlicensed websites

The Codere Foundation and the Institute of Policy and Governance at the Charles III University in Madrid, published a study titled “Social Perception on Gambling in Spain in 2014” this week, suggesting that the Spanish online market has matured and possibly peaked, although 43 percent of the country’s online punters are believed to be playing on illegal sites that offer better odds and promotions…and 12.8 percent of those said they do not play on Spanish-regulated websites at all.

The economic crisis in Spain over the past few years has resulted in the large online player community playing less or reducing their betting levels, the study discovered, noting that there were approximately 1,150,000 active online gamblers in the country in 2013 – a 1.1 percent decline from 2012.

The survey also showed a marked lack of acceptance or respect for nationally regulated online gambling, with most respondents saying it was not a significant factor in their internet playing decisions. 27.4 percent of respondents did not know whether the operators they used were Spanish or not and 43.8 percent were uncertain but thought the operators they used might be based in Spain.

Spanish regulations have created a ring-fenced national market, denying players the ability to legally access international sites and player pools,  but this has not stopped the punters from going to sites other than those with .es domains.

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