A collective of trade associations for Spanish retailers have demanded government intervention over how state lottery tickets are sold online.
Three trade unions representing the interests of loteros, Spain’s independent lottery shops and kiosks, have submitted a formal appeal to the Ministry of Finance, calling for fair commercial terms and proper remuneration for selling Sociedad Estatal Loterías y Apuestas del Estado (SELAE) tickets online.
Formed in 2009, SELAE assumed the role of Spain’s unified lottery steward, overseeing national draws including the Lotería Nacional, Lotería de Navidad, El Niño, La Primitiva, and EuroMillions.
In 2023, SELAE generated over €9bn in gross revenues, making it the largest independent contributor to the Spanish state through non-tax income.
As it stands, SELAE is due to roll out a new centralised online platform that would concentrate all digital lottery sales under its official website, in a move the state operator says is aimed at improving commercial performance. However, vendors have decried the plan as exclusionary and damaging, citing a litany of unresolved issues dating back “over a 20-year period”.
“This is not a digital strategy — it’s a systemic attempt to marginalise the very network that built the Spanish lottery,” said Jorge Anta, Vice President of Anapal, the National Association of Provincial Lottery Administrators.
“We are being denied fair access, stripped of customer relationships, and offered commissions that are financially meaningless.”
At the heart of the conflict is SELAE’s failure to deliver on its long-standing promise to develop a digital system that equitably rewards vendors. Currently, independent outlets can participate in online sales via the “Conmigo Online Club”, but receive only a 4% commission per transaction. Vendors report that this figure — combined with the lack of branding or customer control renders digital sales unprofitable.
“We’ve built trust in small towns for generations. Now, the state wants us to hand over our customers and accept pocket change in return,” said Jon Urkiola, President of Dedit, which represents more than 20% of licensed vendors.
“It’s an opaque, non-transparent system that offers no future for local businesses.”
The lottery sector, already one of Spain’s fastest-growing, became increasingly reliant on digital channels during the pandemic. For many vendors, online sales now represent between 15–30% of their income.
Yet without clear regulation or platform parity, they argue that their long-term viability is at risk — particularly in rural areas where lottery sales are a vital economic and cultural fixture.
SELAE’s retail network spans over 4,100 licensed vendors, many operating in towns where they double as community hubs. Vendors insist they are being excluded from the digital transition they helped facilitate, despite building a combined online market now worth over €1bn.
“We’re not asking for special treatment,” said Alberto García, President of Loteros en la Lucha. “We’re asking for a system that recognises our role, rewards our service fairly, and lets us operate under our own name.”
The dispute is further complicated by inconsistent commercial terms across SELAE’s lottery products. Games like El Gordo de Navidad and La Primitiva operate under differing prize and commission structures to other European lotteries. The season formats make business planning difficult for sellers already facing rising costs and stagnant margins.
Despite multiple petitions — including one submitted last week with 652 vendor signatures — the Ministry of Finance has yet to respond substantively. Government officials have so far dismissed concerns about digital exclusivity as a “hypothetical situation”.
“We developed this market. Now we’re told: step aside so the state can reap the rewards,” said Urkiola. “This isn’t fair competition — it’s commercial displacement.”
As SELAE presses ahead with its digital consolidation, vendors are warning that failure to act will accelerate the decline of small businesses and sever one of the few remaining links between national institutions and local economies.