The 2023 edition of a Game and Society survey revealed that a total of 29.5 million people, or 83.9% of the Spanish population between 18 and 75 years old, have gambled in the last year. The study is the result of research conducted annually by the Gaming Business Council and the Murcia Recreational Federation.
The 2023 edition found that although Spanish adults participate in gambling, they tend to take part in low-risk games that don’t promise a high reward.
The survey found that 23.3 million people played national lotteries, ONCE games or La Quinela. A total of 17.9% of Spaniards play games offered in casinos, gaming halls and bingo halls, and take part in sports betting.
This equates to 6.3 million people. The report emphasised that this is far below, for example, the number who said they go to the theatre in their leisure time, 24.5%. However, this is higher than those who said they take part in painting at 16.1% and almost double the percentage of people who play musical instruments, 9.6%.
Alejandro Landaluce, general director of CeJuego said that people are able to participate in gambling with a similar level of interest to other activities. “Users maintain the same relationship with the game that they can have with the practice of other forms of leisure.”
According to the report, 5.6 million people did not gamble at all in 2022.
The survey also found that 15%-20% of Spaniards are reluctant to gamble. CeJuego said this is due to a number of factors, including religious reasons and fear of losing money. This also encompasses young people under the age of 25 and those living in low-income homes.
Elsewhere, 14.3% of men surveyed reported partaking in the National Lottery on a weekly basis in 2022 – which covers both Thursdays and Sundays. This compares to 12.3% of women surveyed.
Of the El Niño Lottery – a lottery that takes place on 6 January each year – the number of men and women who take part has been split fairly evenly over the last three years. Over 2020, 2021 and 2022, 49.6% of women took part compared to 50.4% of men. The report noted that El Niño is played by a “very high percentage of those who have financial problems or delays in paying mortgages, rent, consumer loans or household supplies”.
CeJuego also reported that Spain’s gambling industry has returned to normal after the restrictions brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.
CeJuegos’ report found that levels of gambling activity had increased compared to 2020 and 2021 – the years primarily affected by the pandemic. In 2020, 80.9% of Spaniards participated in some form of gambling. This crept up, with the number reaching 82.4% in 2021 and ultimately 83.9% in 2022.
Source: iGB
