Network electronic bingo sales were estimated at EUR511m.
Spain.- The Spanish Confederation of Bingo Players (CEJ) presented its 2024 report, concluding that bingo card sales in Spain during 2024 grew by 1.9 percent compared to the previous year. The CEJ reported that in 2024, sales reached EUR1.511m.
Yesterday, Wednesday, March 12, at the facilities of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE), chaired by Fernando Henar, the CEJ Executive Committee was held, where various topics were discussed, such as the approval of accounts and budgets. Among the points discussed, the results of physical bingo card sales in 2024 were reviewed, which, although they registered a slight increase, are still far from the levels of 2019, which saw a decline of more than 14 percent.
Catalonia and the Canary Islands showed the worst results, with declines of 3.9 percent and 3.4 percent, respectively, compared to 2023. These declines are explained by the high tax rate of 50 percent in Catalonia, the highest of all autonomous communities, and the rise of electronic bingo in the Canary Islands, which affects traditional bingo. In contrast, Castilla-La Mancha and Asturias showed good performance, with increases of 11.3 percent and 10.8 percent, respectively.
On the other hand, network electronic bingo sales were estimated at EUR511m, with an increase in the Canary Islands and Catalonia, where a second network was launched at the end of 2023.
Regarding the tax rate for physical bingo cards, the average is 28 percent on the win, with a variation ranging from 10 percent in Ceuta, 15 percent in Andalusia, 20 percent in the Community of Madrid, to 50 percent in Catalonia, while the average percentage of return in prizes is 70 percent.
The negotiation of the Collective Agreement for the Sector, which will be valid for three years (until December 31, 2027), was also discussed. The platform presented by the UGT and CCOO unions was analyzed, and the business arguments for the next meeting of the Negotiating Commission, which will be held on April 7, were presented.
Regarding Responsible Gaming, the FEJAR report was presented, which indicated that in 2023, 6,494 calls were received on the numbers enabled for attention and information, while in 2024 there were 5,094. This report highlighted that bingo is the sector with the least number of calls (less than 2 percent), which corroborates what was established in the agreement between CEJ and FEJAR in 2018, in which it is stated that bingo is probably the gambling game that generates the least pathologies.
