Gross gambling revenue (GGR) in Spain increased by 78.2% year-on-year during the fourth quarter of 2022, driven by growth within the sports betting segment.
For the three-month period, GGR amounted to €313.3m (£274.7m/$334.2m), which was also 27.1% higher than €240.8m in the third quarter of 2022, according to figures published by Spanish regulator Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ).
Breaking this down, sports betting GGR amounted to €141.4m, a 223.4% increase on the previous year (52.8% up quarter-on-quarter) and representing 45.1% of all GGR generated during the quarter.
The DGOJ noted a 108.5% quarter-on-quarter jump in pre-match bets and a 13.8% increase in in-play wagers, while other bettings were up 86.8% and horse betting 63.6%.
Turning to casino and GGR was 32.4% higher at €142.3m, up 32.4% year-on-year and 11.1% higher than in Q3. The sector accounted for 45.4% of total GGR in Q4, marginally ahead of sports betting.
Slots GGR was 27.3% higher than in the previous year, while live roulette GGR was also up by 51.7%.
Elsewhere, poker GGR was 26.8% higher year-on-year at €26.1m, representing 8.3% of the total market, although bingo GGR fell 11.5% to €3.6m and contest revenue also declined by 36.7% to €30,000.
Rise of marketing costs
In terms of marketing costs, this amounted to €106.4m for the quarter, an increase of 13.9% on 2022 and 30.1% ahead of the third quarter of 2022. This included €51.7m in promotional spend, €38.7m worth of sponsorship and €14.6m in affiliation expenses.
Monthly average active game accounts were 1,185,452, up 22.9% year-on-year and 21.1% more than in Q3, while monthly average new game accounts were 131,095, some 21.6% behind the previous year but 23.9% more than the Q3.
By the end of the quarter, there were 78 licensed operators active in Spain including 54 casino operators, 45 for betting, nine poker, three bingo and two contests.
