Since the end of 2020, Spain has launched a series of drastic measures aimed at restricting gambling advertising, causing an earthquake in the industry. But behind these changes lies a complex reality: despite a fall in the number of new accounts, bets and deposits continue to climb. A surprising paradox.
2020: restrictions and bans
From November 2020, Royal Decree 958/2020 introduced an arsenal of strict rules:
- abolition of welcome bonuses,
- ban on television and radio advertising between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.,
- ban on celebrities and influencers in advertising,
- ban on advertising on YouTube and other video platforms,
- end to sponsorship partnerships, particularly in sport.
The stated aim was to protect minors and reduce excessive exposure of consumers, particularly vulnerable ones.
Immediate repercussions: a vertiginous fall in the number of accounts
The consequences were not long in coming:
- new accounts opened: 3.01 million in 2020 → 1.35 million in 2023, a fall of 55%.
- particularly sharp fall in 2022 (-35% over one year).
According to the researchers, it is the ban on welcome bonuses that has weighed most heavily in this disaffection. The models show that in the second quarter of 2021, the decree directly eliminated 263,000 new accounts.
The paradox: more deposits, more bets
While registrations collapsed, the amounts bet and deposited continued to rise:
- Deposits: from €2.19 billion in 2020 to €3.18 billion in 2023.
- Bets: from €20.75 billion in 2020 to €26.5 billion in 2023.
Revealing behaviour: players who have already registered are betting more despite the limits imposed (€600/day, €1,500/week, €3,000/month).
Impact on advertising expenditure and bonuses
With the drop in new players, operators have slowed their marketing investment:
- Advertising expenditure: €193.7m in 2020 → €116.5m in 2022, rising slightly to €122.8m in 2023.
- Bonuses: spending falls from €189.5m to €165.9m over the same period.
- Sponsorship: plummeting from €25.76m to just €2.67m in 2022, followed by a slight recovery to €3.59m in 2023.
Adjustments modelled on the decree, with greater restraint from 2022 onwards, are aimed at more responsible communication.
The legal riposte: a step backwards in 2024
In April 2024, the Spanish Supreme Court invalidated several articles of the decree, on the grounds of lack of sufficient legal basis:
- Article 13: targeting of ‘new players’ repealed,
- Article 15: possible return of celebrities in advertising,
- Reintroduction of advertising on YouTube and video platforms,
- Advertising on social media authorised once again for all over-18s.
However, the ban on sports sponsorship remains in place.
A return to advertising and an increase in activity
Following the Supreme Court’s decision, operators quickly relaunched their communications:
- In the third quarter of 2024: +9.7% in marketing expenditure compared with Q2, totalling €131.7m.
- Resumption of registrations: +1.7% new accounts vs. Q2.
- GGR reaches €348.1m, up 14.4% year-on-year.
Online casinos are really coming into their own: up 17.3% year-on-year.
Towards new regulations?
Despite this legal respite, Minister Pablo Bustinduy is preparing a new offensive: in May 2024, he announced his intention to reinstate restrictions on online advertising and the use of influencers, within a more solid legislative framework.
At the same time, measures for enhanced identity verification are being prepared to combat the participation of minors.