Staff Reporter
The casino industry is in full swing in Spain and the rest of the world, and gambling in Andalusia is a perfect illustration of these conditions. Traditional casinos are displacing virtual gambling as part of a global phenomenon of the virtualisation of relationships: just as it is much more common to talk to friends via social networks than in person, or because you prefer to pay bills online rather than traditional collection sites, internet casinos are also gaining popularity in physical spaces.
Despite the benefits of digitalisation, such as the ability to operate anywhere and anytime, virtual gambling poses a number of problems. These include the most common Internet shortcomings: data theft and card duplication, which often affect many users.
Online casino situation in Andalusia during the last couple of years
The online casino sector in Andalusia, as in the country as a whole, appears to be consolidating. Recently, the local government published the results of the regulated bets and the operations of online kasinos in its jurisprudence. This is the second report that the community authorities manage to develop since the formalization of the data took place in 2017, so there are signs of a continuous and steady growth in activity compared to the 2018 figures.
According to this survey, each resident of the Andalusian community spent €1.16 per quarter, equivalent to €4.53 per year. These figures are higher than in 2018 and show the growth of the industry at national and regional level. At the same time, the revenues of traditional casinos have decreased as they seem to be losing ground to online competition.
The report, which is published together with the annual statistics for Andalusia, includes nearly 7 million adults registered in the community. The figures included are not great if taken in general terms; in other words, the €4.53 a year spent by each adult does not represent the real spending on income by Andalusians.
However, when considered specifically and conditionally, these few euros can represent a lot more money in the household of people who gamble at online casinos. This is reported in European and national statistics.
Among the latter are reports by Codere, the international banking director, which show that the casino industry, both virtual and traditional, moves around €41,828 annually, representing 0.9% of national GDP; thus, casinos outstrip the catering sector, among others. In addition, studies by the DGOJ (Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling) show that a large proportion of Spaniards start gambling before they reach adulthood and then spend more and more money in the sector.
Safety and control of the industry
As the region grows, it is becoming increasingly urgent to put in place security measures to protect users. In this sense, the DGOJ’s homologation policies are geared towards trying to keep the management of servers as up-to-date as possible; at the same time, the community is promoting the development of the online industry to sustain the sector’s economic growth.
These measures are enshrined in the agreement between the parties that formed the Spanish government, which undertake to bring security to casinos and manage any disruption caused by banking activities.
Parallelism with the national economy
The Spanish economy appears to be growing at a sustainable pace in general after years of severe recession. However, if you look at it closely, you will notice deep flaws in the economic model, such as a fair redistribution of income. Growth has been driven primarily by investment and the international political climate; yet Spain has a small minority that benefits from the efforts of the popular majority.
Growing industry
In addition to the parallelism, online casinos in Andalusia are an industry that should be considered as a major social player, both to participate in the benefits offered by the autonomous community and to contribute to the general welfare and the growth of the common economy.
