Online gambling market in Spain posted growth during the second quarter of 2020, the quarterly report from the Dirección General del Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ) showed. Rising interest in online casino games and poker managed to more than offset the decline in sports betting during times when most sports competitions in the country and worldwide were halted by the virus outbreak.
GGR Down from Q1, Up Year-On-Year
Gross gaming revenue for the three months ending June 30 posted €208.9 million, a 4.2% drop from the first quarter of 2020, probably due to the drop in advertising spending by licensed operators. Year-on-year, total gambling market posted 17.7% growth for the quarter, powered by strong performance in the online casino and poker verticals, where revenue grew to €93.5 million, a 36.5% rise, and €38.2 million, a 97.4% increase, respectively.
Online casino saw total amount of customer stakes jump 25.3%, amounting to €2.86 billion, largely down to slot play which accounted for €51.9 million, a significant jump of more than 30% year-on-year and just off the 20% mark compared to the previous quarter. Percentage-wise, live roulette’s contribution was even higher, 75%, generating €27 million in revenue.
The online poker vertical in the country grabbed the players’ attention during the lockdown, leading to poker almost doubling its revenue. Bingo, a relatively small nominal contributor to the online market, also saw its revenue jump 67%, generating €5 million in Q2, but the winner in percentage rise was the real money contest vertical, where revenue grew to €3.9 million, a 700% jump.
Shift from Betting to Casino and Poker
The growth in online casino and poker suggested a customer shift from one vertical to another occurred, as sports betting suffered during the second quarter. The period which was characterized with halted sporting events and suspended football leagues in Europe generated €68.1 million, down 38% from the previous three-month-period and 21% year-on-year. Total amount of stakes dipped significantly to just above €1 billion, a 40% drop, led by pre-match bets being down 49%, to €288.9 million, and in-play wagers down 39.6%, to €698.6 million.
The country imposed strict controls on iGaming during the period of lockdown, seeking to protect people from excessive gambling, which resulted in marketing spend by operators sinking more than 50% year-on-year.
Total spend across all channels came to €40.6 million, 65.7% down compared to the first quarter. Advertising, which was limited to TV and radio broadcasting only in the time interval of 1am to 5am, saw the biggest drop, generating 57.6% less, €17.2 million. Sponsorship was the only segment to generate growth for the quarter year-on-year, up 16.2% to €4.3 million.
The number of monthly average active customer accounts declined 25%, to 642,938, for the quarter year-on-year, while the new sign-ups average per month sank to 137,930, a 41% drop compared to Q2 2019.