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Regulatory data shows that there were almost 2 million active online gamblers in Spain in 2024, growing well over 20% from the prior year. The rapid growth trend has continued into 2025, with positive gross gaming revenue outcomes in both Casino and Sports betting.
This article reviews the most effective digital channels for engaging Spain's online casino players and the trends that impact players’ interest and involvement. Engagement strategies from the regulated social media, influencer content, email and search engine marketing are discussed.
Understanding the Spanish Online Casino Audience
According to the DGOJ, in the year 2024, the number of online users in Spain reached 2 million, which shows an increase of 21.6 per cent, compared to 2023. The vast majority, 83 per cent, of the online users were males aged from 18 to 45, which accounted for 86 per cent of the total users. Accounts that were active for at least 6 months, with an average of 950,000 accounts per month. The majority of GGR in the regulated market comes from sports betting and casino games.
To show how much value the operators place on user online engagement, the total marketing expenditure on online advertising and promotional activities reached 500 million euros in 2023.
Among the marketing campaigns that are most commonly used to attract new players are the tournaments that offer free spins as a bonus. Free spins are the most common bonus players receive in free-to-play tournaments. These spins allow players to receive a limited number of attempts at a slot machine for free.
Players value free spins, especially in social and forum communities, where they can offer a risk-free opportunity to explore new sites or games. With free spins, players can experience a slot site’s features before they risk their own money, which is why they are so good at creating engagement.
Social Media Platforms Driving Player Engagement
Players engage with casino content on social media more than any other platform. TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube feature and mix entertainment with gaming content in both short and long form. Users interact with and attract more content through gaming, entertainment, and other digital media, with video highlight reels, commentary on gameplay strategies, and analyses on bonuses and other gaming content.
Operators increased digital marketing spend in response to regulatory clarifications in mid-2024 that eased particular advertising restrictions, according to Chambers & Partners. Brand advertising activities and strategies diversified to promote the increased community content and community engagement observed in the growing use of social media advertising.
2025 marketing analytics demonstrates that community-focused, integrated entertainment and informational content retention and engagement outperformed traditional advertising content.
Spain continues to regulate advertising content that promotes gambling to minors and other promotional content formats. Educational content that explains game mechanics and strategies promotes more than advertising content. For Spanish casinos, the educational and entertaining social content developed within advertising restrictions demonstrates the value that the Spanish casino audience places on game content.
The Role of Influencers in Casino Promotions
Influencers and gaming celebrities are very prominent in the casino and entertainment content crossover. These creators do commentary work and offer insights and opinions, meaning they do not do promotional work directly, which enables them to maintain audience trust and stay within regulatory boundaries.
Livestreaming platforms offer a unique opportunity for influencers to engage with audiences in real time. Viewers actively participate in the gameplay, which helps to build a sense of community around the game or challenge. Some popular topics invoked in participant gameplay streams include bonus mechanics, competitive formats, and the streamer's user experience with the game. These topics influence and determine the games that spectators actively seek out and play.
Spain's regulatory framework requires very specific detailing of the potential influencer partnerships. Content that crosses into explicit advertising too closely can result in compliance issues, so brands and creators use entertainment, educational purposes, and storytelling to circumvent a ‘call to action’. Even with these constraints, the influencers are a strong channel to engage with potential Spanish players, especially younger audience members, due to the strong pull of engagement and content interactivity.
Email Campaigns That Capture Attention
In engaging inactive players, email remains one of the most effective channels. Emails targeting specific segments of the players, such as slots players, live dealers and casual players, can be personalized to suit their interests by promoting new games, events and bonuses.
When it comes to timing, campaigns around the weekends and major sporting events tend to have a higher open and click rate as there is more activity during these times. Users are more likely to engage with emails when they find the content relevant, and there is a much lower chance of backlash if they perceive the communication as being non-intrusive. It is important to keep privacy preferences and regulations in mind when crafting a campaign to have the most success.
Additionally, email is a channel where we can remind players of their responsible gambling commitment. Prompt communication around risk and spending caps will help manage expectations and reduce confusion in line with Spanish regulations. Emails provide a unique opportunity to combine educational content with promotional material to improve high levels of engagement and encourage responsible play.
The Role of Search and Content Marketing
Search Marketing and optimizing content are still leading fields for gaining visibility from players. Most users query information related to games, rules, bonuses, reliability, licensing, and other issues a number of times before they start any serious engagement. Paid search ads allow operators to harness access to users’ search queries, and quality organic content remains vital for dominating important queries.
Data from 2025 still shows increases in total gross gaming revenue, with online casinos still leading the charge. Average monthly deposits and withdrawals in the data set increased for 12 months in a row, while the total number of registrants also saw a rapid increase. This data indicates that the discovery of users continues to be highly search-based.
When content is tailored to answer a player’s questions about regulated games and is safe for player participation, it helps capture user interest early in the decision-making process and helps to increase organic traffic without relying on paid advertisements.
- B.E. Delmer, Gambling911.com
