Spain’s online gambling market continues to perform strongly, but surprisingly, poker isn’t as strong as many may suspect it to be. The latest figures from the Directorate General for Gambling Regulation (DGOJ) show a mixed picture regarding poker. On the surface, things look great: gross gaming revenue (GGR) went up 14.4% year-on-year in Q3 2024, reaching €348.1 million.
While they are still strong figures, in historical context they actually indicate a drop in its popularity. In the last year, Spanish players have been moving away from online poker, which has led to a 23.5% drop in its GGR. It’s not a sudden crash, but it is a sign that people are gambling differently and not putting poker front and centre.
Legal casinos around the world provide a staggering amount of gaming variety and easy ways to pay. Take any Spanish operator with PayPal, or pay by Boku casino in the UK, which offers flexible transactions through the popular payment system, they offer easy account registrations that give access to thousands of games, all of which directly compete with poker.
A Look at the Numbers
In the third quarter of 2024, online poker in Spain brought in €20.5 million. This accounted for only 5.9% of the total online gaming GGR within the country. While not disastrous, this did mark a sizeable 19.7% drop from the previous quarter and a 23.5% decline from the same period in 2023. These figures highlight that poker isn’t pulling in the numbers that it once was. But what’s the reason for the fall?
Changing Preferences
Spain’s poker decline can also be put down to changing gambling habits. While the online casino sector has grown by 17.3% since 2023, most of that growth comes from slots, which saw a 25.8% jump in GGR. Blackjack revenues also soared by 49.4% and even bingo saw a slight 0.7% uptick.
As a slower intense, strategic game, poker may not be as appealing to today’s players, who are moving towards faster, action-packed options. Slots for example are quick and easy to play, and don’t require any complex skill, and so are perceived as being a more relaxing, beginner-friendly casino game option.
Changing player trends are also clear when the distribution of licences within Spain is looked at. Out of 77 licensed operators in the country, only 9 have a dedicated poker licence. In contrast, 51 are licensed for casino operations and 42 are licensed for sports betting. The industry’s
priorities are pretty obvious – operators are focusing on the more profitable, fast-growing gambling options that players are looking for.
The Need for Innovation
The drop in Spain’s poker revenues perhaps indicates that to turn the tide, operators need new ideas to attract and retain players. This could mean introducing new formats, improving promotions, or mixing poker with other gaming options. Hybrid games and social features can also bring something new to the field that will freshen up the format.
One idea is to use virtual and augmented reality to make online poker feel more like a real-life game, with AR potentially showing cards and chips on a table within a player’s home. Virtual Reality poker could provide a complete immersive, digital experience.
Live dealer games are another area where poker could be made more appealing. While they’re already popular at online casinos, new integrated features like AR overlays showing statistics or AI-driven real-time analytics could be massive for the game. AI can also provide more specific game suggestions and promotions to players.
Finding innovative ways to make gameplay quicker could also be beneficial and work towards capturing a newer audience. It’s worth remembering that cash poker has seen a slight rise in revenue because, unlike tournaments, players can join and leave cash games whenever they like. So, one possible direction for development is to make live dealer poker formats that are more dynamic and flexible.
In Summary
Spaniards turning their backs on poker for several reasons. Tournament poker no longer attracts the large numbers like it once did, and has to face more and more competition from other areas. Players are opting for casino games such as slots, blackjack, or roulette for bursts of gambling entertainment, all drawing the poker audience away.
Poker isn’t dead in Spain, but it’s no longer the star of the show and without fresh ideas, poker might just fade further into the background while other casino markets race ahead.
