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Gaming in Spain Newsletter -Spanish industry representatives join new responsible gaming advisory

Looking back at a successful Gaming in Spain Conference


Over 150 delegates from 18 countries gathered in Madrid on November 8 to discuss the latest developments in the fast-growing Spanish gaming market at the 2018 Gaming in Spain Conference.


The following conference presentations were recorded and are now available on YouTube:

  • Keynote Speech: Spain as seen from Brussels, Maarten Haijer Secretary General of EGBA

  • Why responsible gaming makes business sense, Jesper Kärrbrink, CEO of Mr Green Ltd

  • Ceuta: a detailed briefing from tax authorities and experts, Juan Bravo Baena & Pedro Fernández

  • A 360 degree view of the Spanish iGaming market, Daniel Stone, GamblingCompliance

  • Expert Panel: The second wave in sports betting, with Vahe Baloulian (BetConstruct), Will Westcott (Betgenius), Javier Manceñido (Optima)

  • Harm prevention with the help of neurosciences and AI, Kim Mouridsen Mindway AI and Aarhus University

  • How to improve online operators’ competitiveness, Mauro De Fabritiis, MAG Consultants

  • Match-fixing: from detection to sanctioning, Jack Kennedy, I & I Manager at Sportradar

  • Bringing live dealer games to a new level in Spain, Kfir Kugler, CEO of Ezugi

  • Cybersecurity made in Spain, Pedro López Martín-Andino and Borja Rosales

  • Blockchain matrix: a survival guide for the industry, Rais Busom, founder and CEO of GamingBlock

Photographs of the event can be viewed here.


Jdigital and Adigital release statement on the relation between online gaming and gambling addiction


Trade associations Jdigital, representing the Spanish online gaming industry, and Adigital, representing the interests of Spanish businesses active in the digital economy, have released a joint statement on the perceived relationship between online gaming and the growth of gambling addiction in the country.


The associations point out that online gaming generates only a small part (6%) of the revenues of the gaming sector as a whole. Furthermore, the number of problem gamblers in Spain is low – 0.3% of the population. Moreover, only a minority of problem gamblers (16.2%) wager online.


Likewise, it should be noted that online gaming advertising represents only 0.77% of total advertising investment in Spain in 2017, according to figures supplied by Infoadex.


“Therefore, we consider it unfair and wrong to point to online gaming as primarily or exclusively responsible for the issue of problem gambling,” the joint statement concludes.


Spanish online GGR up 30% in Q3


Spanish online GGR grew 29.86% year-on-year to €181.77m during Q3 2018, according to new figures released by the Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ).


Betting generated €97.65m in turnover (53.72% of total online quarterly GGR), a 27.41% increase year-on-year.


The casino vertical generated €60.85m (33.48%) and grew 39.19% y-o-y.

Poker revenues jumped 35% y-o-y to €19.8m (10.89%).


Total marketing spending during the quarter came to €75.85m, a 56.26% increase y-o-y.

The monthly average of active users during the third quarter was 812,007, up 30.71% compared to the same period in the previous year.


Online operators contribute €325m to European sports, sustain 33,000 EU jobs across 14 member states


European online gambling operators are contributing €325m to sports and employing 33,000 workers across the European Union, according to new data released by the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA).


Maarten Haijer, Secretary General of EGBA:

“Europe’s online gambling sector is a growing and popular form of digital entertainment – but with this growth comes responsibility to ensure that people are kept safe while playing on online gambling websites. This new data shows EGBA members are at the forefront of the sector’s development, interacting with millions of customers and processing nearly a million payment transactions each day.”

For additional key figures about the EU-28 online gambling market, see here.


Upcoming Events


The following events may be of interest to members of the GiS community.

  • The Gambling Compliance Global Regulatory Awards 2019, which celebrate excellence in compliance and responsible gambling initiatives, will be awarded on 1 May, 2019, at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in Central London.

  • 115+ speakers already confirmed their attendence at the World Gaming Executive Summit, 2-4 July 2019 in Barcelona.


Spanish industry representatives join new responsible gaming advisory board


Representatives from some of Spain’s leading gaming operators and suppliers will be part of a new advisory board that will help define the country’s responsible gaming strategy.


The Advisory Council on Responsible Gaming (Consejo Asesor del Juego Responsible – CAJR) was created in 2013, but without a formalized structure. Late last month, the tasks and structure of the CAJR were more closely defined by an order of the Spanish Minister of Finance.


The updated role of the CAJR will be to provide appropriate assistance, guidance and advice to Spanish regulator DGOJ in the formulation, monitoring and execution of its public policies regarding responsible gambling.


Among the 25 new members appointed to the CAJR are Sportium CEO Alberto Eljarrat, R. Franco vice president María José Gallardo, and Luckia’s legal counsel Francisco Feijoo. Also represented are social health and consumer rights advocates. The CAJR will be chaired by Juan Espinosa García, the president of the DGOJ.


“The working group represents all parties involved in the industry, and will allow the collection of points of views from all sides, with the aim of promoting responsible gaming,” Sportium CEO Eljarrat said.


Other news


Spanish regulator DGOJ has published an updated version of its strategy for supervising the Spanish gaming industry.


The Spanish government has proposed a €100,000 fine for offering unlicensed online gambling.


Following the publication of its Q3 2018 trading update in which the company posted year-to-date net losses of €55 million, Madrid-based operator Codere has witnessed its share price collapse, as sharp devaluation of Latin American currencies proved costly for the operator.


Playtech has partnered with Betclic and Unibet in France, and bet365, Betfair, Casino Barcelona and Sportium in Spain to launch its shared-liquidity iPoker network in France and Spain.


Betting service provider Sportium has entered into a partnership with the Apuesta Hípica y Deportiva Iberia (AHDI), the company that operates Seville's Gran Hipódromo de Andalucía racetrack.


The online platform of Casino Barcelona has signed a content partnership with gaming solutions supplier Yggdrasil.


Gaming in Holland founder Willem van Oort discusses the latest regulatory developments in Spain and the “mild chaos” holding back the Dutch industry in the latest issue of Trafficology (pp. 23-24).


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