In Spain, almost all players bet on in-person lotteries during 2024, confirming that physical gambling remains the predominant channel in the country. However, data from the latest report by the National Plan on Drugs reveals that the scenario is rapidly changing: 36% of players already participate in online betting and 33% in online lotteries. Both figures show that digital gambling is not marginal: it is a consolidated option that competes directly with the in-person offering.
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The State Lottery and Betting Society (SELAE), dependent on the Government, manages both in-person and online lotteries, meaning the public operator concentrates a substantial part of the market in both channels. The private sector, on the other hand, competes mainly in the sports betting and online casino games segment.
Market fragments in Spain: from lotteries to sports betting
Beyond lotteries, the study shows an increasingly diversified market. Online card games already group 19.7% of players, a proportion that reflects the growing weight of poker platforms and similar. The football pool (quiniela), both in-person (11.7%) and online (9.6%), maintains a stable but smaller user base. Segments with lower penetration include online bingo (8.7%), online slots (7.3%), and online instant lotteries (7.2%), products that target different user profiles with their own consumption dynamics.
A structurally relevant fact is that players do not choose a single channel or product: they participate in several simultaneously. This suggests that the growth of online gambling does not replace in-person gambling but adds to it, expanding the total volume of activity.
The profile of the digital player: younger and with higher spending
The average age of entry into in-person gambling is just over 24 years, while entry into online gambling occurs slightly later, at 27.5 years on average. This difference can be explained by the greater familiarity of younger generations with digital platforms, although access to them also requires electronic payment methods and a certain level of navigation knowledge that is not always present at younger ages.
The online channel also makes a difference in spending: those who gamble online spend more money than those who do so in person. This pattern is consistent across genders, although men spend more than women in both modalities. The data suggests that the digital environment facilitates more intensive consumption, possibly due to the immediacy of access and the absence of physical friction at the moment of betting.
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Young people, an expanding segment for digital gambling
The report includes data on high school students in Spain that illustrate how digital gambling is penetrating increasingly younger age groups. 13% of these students have already engaged in online gambling, and 20.9% have done so in person. Both figures are higher than in 2023 and 2021, indicating a sustained upward trend.
The gender gap is significant: in online gambling, 20.7% of boys have participated compared to 5.3% of girls; in in-person gambling, 29.5% compared to 12.3%. Product preferences also differ: girls tend to prefer online bingo and roulette, and in-person bingo and lotteries; boys mainly opt for sports betting and online roulette, and in-person roulette and slot machines. These patterns suggest that the youth market is not uniform and responds to clear segmentation by gender and product type.
The digital ecosystem expands: video games, social media, and the internet
The study places gambling within a broader digital context. Video games are present in 84.4% of students, with a penetration of 96.8% among boys and 71.8% among girls. Intensive use of social media affects 15.3% of students, with a slightly higher prevalence among girls (15.7%). Problematic internet use is reported in 23.4% of female students and 15.5% of male students.
This data paints a picture of an environment where online gambling coexists with other forms of intensive digital consumption among young people. For operators in the sector, this ecosystem represents both an opportunity for acquisition and a regulatory scenario under constant review by authorities.
The sector grows in Spain and the demand for specialized attention also increases
In 2023, 4,916 people began treatment for behaviors related to gambling or other digital activities in Spain, compared to 4,670 in 2022. 87% of patients are men, and gambling represents 81% of the reasons for consultation. Disorders linked to video games, social media, and digital devices account for the remaining 9%. The sustained growth of these figures, since the indicator began to be measured in 2021, is consistent with the general expansion of the digital gambling and online entertainment market.
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