Spain is arguably the most mature in terms of compliance (or regulation) in the Real-Money Gambling (RMG) sector among all European countries. As early as 2011, both offline and online forms of gambling were fully legalized.
All issues related to the gambling industry in Spain are handled by a regulatory body called the "General Directorate for Gambling Regulation (DGOJ)," which is under the Ministry of Finance of Spain.
To legally operate Real-Money Gambling in Spain, it is necessary to obtain an operating license issued by the DGOJ and pay a gambling activity tax (IAJ) of 20% based on GGR (Gross Gambling Revenue) according to the law.
It is reported that the DGOJ regulatory body currently issues two types of licenses: general licenses (for entire categories of games) and singular licenses (for each specific game). General licenses have a validity of 10 years, and operators seeking such licenses must meet the following requirements:
Registered legal entity in any EU member country
Provide a financial guarantee of 2 million euros
At the time of submitting the registration application, the company needs to pay at least 53,000 euros in fees
Overview of the Current State of Gambling Games in Spain
Discussing the size of the online gambling market in Spain, the total GGR in 2023 reached 1.23 billion euros, an increase of 28.38% year-on-year. In terms of user base, the total number of registered user accounts exceeded 4.3 million by 2023, with 2.64 million active players.
According to the latest data released by the DGOJ, the quarterly GGR for online gambling in Spain in Q3 2024 was 348.1 million euros, an increase of 14.41% year-on-year.
By game category, the distribution of the 348.09 million euros GGR in Q3 2024 is as follows:
Betting: 135.92 million euros, accounting for 39.05%;
Bingo: 3.67 million euros, accounting for 1.05%;
Casino: 187.99 million euros, accounting for 54.01%;
Contests: 0 euros, accounting for 0%;
Poker: 20.52 million euros, accounting for 5.89%.
Especially in the Casino category, the main driving force for growth was Slot, contributing 126.4 million euros, an increase of 25.8% year-on-year.
Active and New Accounts
In Q3 2024, the average monthly active gaming accounts were 1,443,615, an increase of 3.02% quarter-on-quarter and 33.33% year-on-year. The average monthly new gaming accounts were 153,181, an increase of 1.66% quarter-on-quarter and 42.40% year-on-year. There were 77 licensed operators as of Q3 2024. The number of active operators by game category is as follows:
Betting: 42;
Bingo: 4;
Casino: 51;
Contests: 2;
Poker: 9.
According to statistics, the top 10 best-selling casino games on Google Play in Spain are almost all Slot and Bingo games. Compared to Bingo, Slot has a wider audience in Spain and is more focused on social aspects. It mainly targets a group over 45 years old with high paying capacity, which also means a huge potential for monetization.
GP Listing Policy and Compliance Focus
Google Play currently allows the publication of online gambling apps or apps facilitating online gambling in designated countries/regions, provided they comply with relevant local legal restrictions and all Google Play policies.
Countries/regions where gambling apps are allowed can be seen on the official Google link: https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/12256011
Apps that meet the listing criteria must comply with all applicable laws and industry standards of each distribution country/region;
Developers must have successfully completed the application process (filling out the gambling app distribution application form: https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/contact/gambling) to distribute apps on Google Play;
Developers must have a valid gambling license for each country/region or state/region to which the app is distributed;
Developers must not offer gambling products beyond the scope of their gambling license;
Apps must prevent use by users who are under the legal age;
Apps must prevent access and use by users from countries/regions, states, or geographic areas not covered by the developer's provided gambling license;
Apps must not be offered as paid apps on Google Play for users to purchase, nor use Google Play's in-app purchase billing feature;
Apps must be available for users to download and install for free from the Google Play store;
The app's rating must be AO (Adults Only) or an equivalent rating from IARC (content rating reference: https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9898843);
The app and its app details must clearly display information about responsible gambling.
Conclusion:
Overall, the entire gambling industry in Spain shows a stable growth trend, especially in the Casino category. In addition, countries like the USA, Brazil, Mexico, and India also occupy a significant market share in the global gambling game market, where many Chinese manufacturers also have a share.
