The crisis increases the number of bets while online gaming grows in Spain

In fact, it is "one of the sectors that experimented a better growth both in business volume and in the number of transactions,” with a 6% growth quarter after quarter. It is shown in the Spain Report on Information Society that will be released today in the Orange Foundation Spain.

Games of chance and online bets represented in 2008 the 7.1% of the business generated online, being in fourth position, after aerial transport, direct marketing and the travel agency and touristic operators business.

In the last quarter 2008, when the crisis has already affected Lehman Brothers and it was known that Bernard Madoff had committed fraud for almost us$ 65,000 million dollars, Spanish people spent  88.6 million euros in online games of chance: almost a million euros a day in bets.

A report from Orange Foundation points that "after a slow growth in the first three quarters, there was an increment both in the volume as well in the number of transactions in the latest quarter, that coincides with the aggravation of the economic situation". This fact, "from a sociological point of view, has the explanation of the growing trend of games of chance in situations of economic crisis”, he adds.

The growing capital allocated to gambling comes from a reduced number of people, compared to those that use Internet to hire trips or holiday lodging, that represent the 60.4%, or those who buy tickets for shows, which are the 35.9% of the users of online commerce. Online games are used by the 4% of the Internet users that make online commerce transactions.

Online gaming is not regulated in Spain. The government introduced the aim to rule the Law to boost the Information Society by the end of 2007, but, despite constant petitions of the sector, nothing has been done so far.

There are autonomous norms, such as the ones in the Basque Country and Madrid, that are very limited due to its regional character and Internet ubiquity.

The Spanish Association of Internet Bettors criticizes that the lack of regulation makes commercial and tax benefits go to other countries. In Europe, there are 20 states that allow online gaming, while seven have banned it.