Spain’s online poker revenue falls despite liquidity sharing

Spain’s regulated online gambling market reported strong year-on-year growth in the second quarter of 2018, although the poker vertical failed to match its Q1 revenue total.

Figures released Tuesday by Spain’s Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ) regulatory body show locally licensed online gambling operators generated revenue of €167.2m in the three months ending June 30. That’s a whopping gain of 40.1% over the same period last year but only 2.3% higher than Q1’s total.

The first half of the 2018 FIFA World Cup had its expected goosing effect on sports betting revenue, which jumped 46.7% year-on-year to €87.6m, although this figure was only up 7% from Q1. And while pre-match betting improved 32.7%, in-play betting actually declined 7% from Q1.

The online casino vertical produced revenue of €56.5m, reflecting similarly large year-on-year growth (36.9%) while remaining essentially flat on a sequential basis. Slots remain the dominant casino product, claiming over 51% of casino revenue.