Spain's Lottery Sellers to Strike for the First Time in History

On July 9, around 150 delegates from all regions of Spain will gather outside the headquarters of the State Lotteries and Betting agency (SELAE) in Madrid — for the first time in the industry's history. They represent more than 10,500 lottery ticket outlets. The protest has brought together the sector's main organisations, such as Defensa Digital (DEDIT), Loteros en la Lucha (LELL), and the National Association of Provincial Lottery Associations (ANAPAL).

Sellers are unhappy that the prices of lottery tickets haven't changed since 2002, while the commissions they receive have barely changed over the past 20 years. The commission for the Christmas Lottery is 4.5%, versus 6% for other draws. According to industry associations' estimates, this amounts to just 0.90 euros of gross profit per ticket. ANAPAL president Borja Muñiz has calculated that bringing the Christmas Lottery commission into line with the rest would cost SELAE 54 million euros, even though the agency's profit, by his account, exceeds 2 billion euros.

In addition, ticket sellers' operating costs have risen — rent, electricity, salaries, taxes. According to industry groups' estimates, the combined rise in costs has cut kiosks' profitability by 60%. Muñiz admits that "some kiosks are already in a very difficult position." Overall, the network provides more than 18,000 direct jobs, with an annual turnover of over 10 billion euros.

The kiosk owners' second grievance concerns online sales. According to them, SELAE is trying to establish a monopoly on online sales and create its own platform, depriving each kiosk of the ability to sell through a website. The losses from such a decision are estimated at 15–30% of income. According to industry groups, online sales bring in around 1.5 billion euros a year.