The online gaming industry across the Iberian Peninsula opened 2026 with record-breaking results. Spain and Portugal both reported strong first-quarter growth, driven primarily by online casino activity, reinforcing their position as two of Europe’s most important regulated gaming markets.
In Portugal, the Serviço de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos (SRIJ), led by Luís Filipe da Costa Tôrres Capaz Coelho, reported that the regulated online gaming market generated €323.7 million in gross gaming revenue during the first quarter of 2026. The figure represents growth of nearly 14% year-on-year.
The strongest segment was online casino and iGaming, which generated €204.2 million, an increase of 20% compared to the same period in 2025. Online sports betting contributed approximately €119.5 million, maintaining a significant share of Portugal’s regulated market despite slower growth than casino gaming.
Spain posted even larger figures. The Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ), headed by Mikel Arana, reported total online gaming revenue of €454.16 million for the January–March 2026 period, representing a 13.94% year-on-year increase, although revenue declined 6.46% quarter-on-quarter from the fourth quarter of 2025.
The undisputed growth engine was the online casino sector, which generated €247.79 million, accounting for 54.56% of Spain’s regulated online gaming market. Casino revenue increased 21.77% year-on-year and 2.44% quarter-on-quarter.
Within the casino vertical, online slots rose 22.68% annually, traditional roulette increased 5.77% quarter-on-quarter, live roulette advanced 4.90%, while blackjack declined 1.43%.
Online betting generated €174.47 million, representing 38.42% of the market. Despite a 17.21% quarterly decline due to sports calendar seasonality, betting revenue still grew 5.13% year-on-year.
Online poker contributed €28.29 million, posting annual growth of 10.88%, while online bingo generated €3.61 million.
Player activity also remained robust. Spain recorded €1.594 billion in deposits, €1.143 billion in withdrawals, €184.75 million in marketing expenditure, an average of 1.897 million active monthly accounts, and 185,200 new monthly accounts. Of Spain’s 77 licensed operators, 61 maintained at least one active singular license during the quarter.
The figures confirm a trend increasingly visible across Europe: online casino gaming has become the primary growth engine of regulated digital gambling markets, while regulators such as the DGOJ and SRIJ face the challenge of balancing expansion, player protection, advertising controls and enforcement against illegal operators.
