Spain Online Gambling Revenue Nears €1 Billion in First Half of 2026

Spain’s regulated online gambling market generated €993.6 million in gross gaming revenue (GGR) during the first half of 2026, representing a 23% increase compared with the same period of 2025.

The figures were reported by Spain’s Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) and show continued growth across the country’s regulated online gambling sector. The second quarter was particularly strong, with online gambling GGR reaching €539.18 million between April and June, up 18.66% from the first quarter and 31.16% compared with the second quarter of 2025.

The second-quarter result was the first time quarterly online gambling GGR in Spain exceeded €500 million. GGR represents the amount wagered after winnings paid to players and before taxes and other operating costs.

Sports betting remained the largest individual segment during the first half of the year, although the gap between betting and online casino narrowed significantly during the second quarter.

During the April-June period, betting generated approximately €265 million in GGR, while casino games produced around €273 million. The difference between the two major segments was approximately €7.7 million, representing one of the smallest gaps recorded in the Spanish market.

The strong quarterly performance meant that betting contributed significantly to the overall increase in market revenue. Live betting and fixed-odds sports betting remained important components of the betting segment.

Casino activity also continued to expand, with online slots representing a significant part of the sector. The casino segment includes slots, roulette, blackjack and other casino products permitted under Spain's regulated online gambling framework.

Poker and bingo remained substantially smaller segments of the market. Their contribution to total online GGR was considerably below that of betting and casino.

The first-half figures continue a period of sustained growth in Spain's regulated online market. In 2024, online gambling under state licences generated €1.454 billion in GGR, representing a 17.6% increase from the previous year. Casino generated €730.71 million in 2024, while sports and other betting generated €608.85 million. Poker accounted for €100.08 million and online bingo for €14.94 million.

The growth of the regulated market has also been accompanied by increasing activity among online gambling customers. Spain's gambling regulator publishes quarterly data covering active accounts, new registrations, deposits, withdrawals, amounts wagered and operator expenditure on advertising, promotions and sponsorship.

The second-quarter data show that the market's expansion is taking place alongside continued regulatory attention to advertising and player protection.

In May 2026, the DGOJ opened a public consultation concerning proposed amendments to Spain's Gambling Regulation Act. The proposed reforms include measures addressing the use of celebrities and influencers in gambling advertising, customer-acquisition promotions and organic advertising through search engines.

The proposed changes are intended to strengthen controls over gambling advertising and improve measures addressing illegal gambling and gambling-related risks. The consultation also forms part of a wider effort to update legislation that has been in force for approximately 15 years.

The Spanish authorities are also developing an algorithm intended to assist operators in detecting potentially problematic gambling behaviour at an earlier stage. The DGOJ has said that the system will be mandatory for gambling operators and will use real customer data to improve the identification of risk indicators.

Advertising and promotional expenditure is another significant feature of the Spanish online gambling market. In 2024, operators spent more than €526 million on marketing activities. Promotions represented approximately €261 million, advertising €203 million, affiliate expenditure €56 million and sponsorships approximately €5.45 million.

The growth in revenue therefore exists alongside substantial expenditure by operators seeking to attract and retain customers. The regulatory authorities have increasingly focused on how these activities are conducted, particularly where advertising reaches younger audiences or involves promotional techniques designed to encourage new customers to open accounts.

The DGOJ's quarterly market data also provide information on deposits and withdrawals, allowing regulators and market participants to monitor the development of customer activity alongside GGR.

The continued growth of online gambling has taken place within Spain's licensing system, under which operators providing online gambling services at national level require the appropriate authorisation. The DGOJ supervises the regulated market and publishes data covering licensed operators and the main gambling verticals.

The increase in online GGR during the first half of 2026 does not represent the entire Spanish gambling market. The figures concern online gambling subject to state-level regulation and do not include the full range of land-based gambling activity.

The online sector nevertheless represents an increasingly important part of Spain's wider gambling industry. The market's expansion has been particularly visible in casino and betting products, while the regulator continues to develop additional measures concerning advertising, customer protection and the detection of problematic gambling.

The second-quarter figures also show a changing balance between the two largest online segments. Betting has historically been one of Spain's principal online gambling products, but casino growth has brought the two categories increasingly close together in terms of quarterly GGR.

The relatively narrow difference between casino and betting revenue in the second quarter of 2026 means that changes in either segment can materially affect the composition of the overall market. Continued growth in casino products, particularly online slots, has been an important factor in the sector's recent development.

The Spanish market is therefore entering the second half of 2026 with online gambling revenue approaching €1 billion for the first six months of the year. The quarterly data indicate that the market's expansion is continuing, while regulatory authorities are simultaneously considering changes to advertising rules and strengthening monitoring and player-protection mechanisms.

The next stages of Spain's regulatory programme will determine how the growing online market is managed, particularly in relation to advertising, influencer marketing, customer acquisition, illegal operators and the early identification of gambling-related risks.

By fLEXI tEAM