CEJUEGO (Spain's leading gaming trade association) and the Carlos III University of Madrid presented on December 1 the Spanish Gaming Yearbook for 2020, a rigorous study that compiles all the statistical information on the different aspects that make up the gaming industry in Spain. In this regard and given the various data provided, we highlight that until the end of October, real gaming in Spain fell 50% compared to 2019.
The latest edition of the “Gaming Yearbook in Spain” analyzes the gaming scenario considering the challenges the world faces due to the COVID-19 health crisis.
According to the Gaming Yearbook in Spain 2020, real gaming 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 belong to private gaming, while 1,900 belong to the State Lotteries and Betting and ONCE.
The publication was presented 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; in addition, the CEO of CEJUEGO, Alejandro Landaluce, participated.
Regarding the data contained in the yearbook, Alejandro Landaluce, pointed out that: “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 recovered the levels prior to the 2008 economic crisis and now the situation is far worse ”.
Based on last year's data, spending on all games in Spain rose to 0.8% of GDP in 2019. In public management games, 4,590 million euros were played, with an increase of 6.2% compared to 2018. With regard to privately managed gambling, basically land-based entertainment (casinos, bingo halls, gambling halls, sports betting and hospitality machines), 4,860 million euros were played, a decrease of 0.1% compared to to 2018, mainly focused on machines in the hospitality industry and bingo halls. For its part, 776 million euros were played online, which represents only 0.06% of GDP and 7.7% of total gaming.
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 that arcade machines are estimated to generate in the hotel sector. In the words of Alejandro Landaluce, “despite the fact that the drop in income from gaming companies is higher than that registered in other sectors such as fashion, automobiles or sales in department stores, we have managed to reduce ERTES (Record of Temporary Employment Regulation) to 15% of the workforce, so that 85% of the employees in the sector are working at the moment ”.
On this particular 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 the fiscal measures contemplate reductions in rates proportional to the decrease in income."
On the other hand, last year 1,341.8 million euros of real gaming from land-based entertainment went to special taxes on gaming, either from the State (197.3 million euros) or from the Autonomous Communities (1,137, 5 million euros).
Land-based private gaming venues, State Lotteries and Betting administrations and ONCE vendors
The study, which collects both public and private gaming data, highlights the number of points of sale dedicated to public gaming. State Lotteries and Betting has a network of 4,167 administrations and 6,795 complementary points of sale, while ONCE has nearly 20,000 sellers and has a complementary land-based channel of 11,468 points of sale.
On the other hand, in the case of private gaming there are 319 bingo halls, 52 casinos, and 3,752 gaming halls.
In this regard, Landaluce recalled that "the gaming sector is an important economic engine for the country as a whole, as other sectors know it well, such as the hospitality sector, which is having such a difficult time right now."
Finally, he emphasized gaming as a human leisure activity and explained that it is enjoyed by "the vast majority of Spaniards in a responsible manner", especially considering that Spain is one of the countries with the lowest rate of problematic gaming in the world, standing at 0.3%.
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