The real game in Spain, the difference between the amounts played and the prizes, stood at 4,345 million euros until the end of October 2020, which represents a 50% drop compared to the same period in 2019. Of these 4,345 million euros 2,445 euros belong to private gaming, while 1,900 belong to Loterías y Apuestas del Estado and ONCE.
This is how the “Game Yearbook in Spain 2020”A study on the reality of the sector through statistical data and information on the different aspects of the gaming industry in Spain. This publication was presented this morning through an online event in collaboration with the CEOE and was attended by one of its authors, the professor of Sociology and member of the Institute of Politics and Governance of the Carlos III University of Madrid, José Antonio Gómez Yáñez, as well as the CEO of CEJUEGO, Alejandro Landaluce.
Alejandro Landaluce, has indicated that: “The gaming sector is going through difficult times, like the whole of the Spanish economy. But if the previous crisis made something clear to us, it is that the gaming industry is one of the ones that takes the longest to recover. In 2019 we had not yet recovered the levels prior to the 2008 economic crisis and now the situation is much worse ". "In times of crisis, people reduce their spending on leisure, as is the case with gambling", has pointed out.
As for last year's data, in 2019 spending on all games in Spain amounted to 0.8% of GDP. In public management games, generically "lucky", lotteries and mutual sports bets of Loterías y Apuestas del Estado and the games of the ONCE, 4,590 million euros were played, with an increase of 6.2% compared to 2018. With regard to privately managed gambling, which is basically face-to-face entertainment (casinos, bingo halls, gambling halls, sports betting and hospitality machines), 4,860 million euros were played, a decrease of 0.1% compared to 2018 , mainly focused on machines in the hospitality industry and in bingo halls. For its part, on-line 776 million euros were gambled, which represents only 0.06% of GDP and 7.7% of the total game.
Employment and contribution to society
In 2019, the gaming sector employed 84,797 people, of which 47,047 correspond to private gaming, 18,463 to State Lotteries and Betting, and 19,287 to ONCE, in addition to the 50,300 indirect jobs estimated to be generated by arcade machines in the hospitality sector. In the words of Alejandro Landaluce, “Despite the fact that the fall in the income of gaming companies is higher than that registered in other sectors such as fashion, automobiles or in-store sales in department stores, we have managed to reduce ERTES to 15% of the workforce, by what 85% of the sector's employees are working at the moment”.
According to José Antonio Gómez Yáñez, "companies are making a great effort to maintain their workforce despite the decline in their income. There are business groups that are beginning to have serious difficulties."
In addition, he commented that "In some communities it is urgent that fiscal measures contemplate reductions in rates proportional to the decrease in income."
On the other hand, last year € 1,341.8 million of real face-to-face entertainment gambling were allocated to special taxes on gambling, either from the State (197.3 million euros) or from the Autonomous Communities (1,137.5 million of euros).
On-site private gambling venues, State Lottery and Gambling administrations and ONCE vendors
The study, which collects both public and private gambling data, highlights the total number of points of sale dedicated to public gambling. Loterías y Apuestas del Estado has a network of 4,167 administrations and 6,795 complementary points of sale, while ONCE has close to 20,000 vendors and has a complementary physical channel of 11,468 points of sale, consisting mainly of tobacconists, service stations and newsstands.
Also included are the types of establishments dedicated to private gambling such as bingo halls, with 319 establishments, casinos with 52 establishments, and gambling halls that are currently 3,752 establishments.
Landaluce wanted to remember that “The gaming sector is an important economic engine for the country as a whole, as other sectors such as the hospitality industry know well how difficult it is right now”. "In addition, gambling is a leisure activity enjoyed by the vast majority of Spaniards in a responsible manner, our country being one of the countries with the lowest rate of problem gambling in the world, standing at 0.3% ", has pointed.
You can download the Game Yearbook in Spain 2020 here
Photo courtesy of AZAR Magazine and AZARplus