Spanish gambling market continues to grow

Spain’s gambling industry continued to advance in 2015 with growth in most sectors, according to the latest research report from the Codere – University of Madrid Institute for Policy and Governance collaboration released this week.

Highlights from the report include:

* Online gambling revenue in 2015 was up around 25 percent year-on-year at Euro 320 million, over one-quarter higher than in 2014;

* Overall GGR from the Spanish gambling industry was Euro 8.75 billion;

* Overall online gambling wagers at regulated Spanish sites rose almost a third to Euro 8.5 billion, with Euro 4.2 billion of that generated by sports betting;

* Combined land and online sports betting wagers totalled Euro 5.4 billion – a more than 41 percent increase y-o-y, with 78 percent created through online and mobile channels;

* Other than slightly higher rates for younger demographics, in global terms Spain has the lowest problem gambling rate, an achievement attributed to a keen sense of social responsibility among operators generally;

* State lottery sales increased by 4 percent year-on-year to Euro 8.78 billion;

* Overall, gambling contributed 3 percent to the national GDP, and the national Treasury benefitted in taxation and fees by Euro 1.64 billion. In addition Spaniards employed by private gambling companies paid over Euro 40 million in personal taxes, and their employers paid corporate taxes of around Euro 97 million;

* Private gaming firms donated Euro 212 million to social and community funds;

* The gambling industry overall in Spain employed an additional 1,300 people in 2015, raising the national gambling workforce to 80,000 directly and twice that indirectly;

* Land-based gaming wagers rose 6 percent y-o-y to Euro 25.5 billion;