Home News Impact of the Iberian Power Cut on Online Gambling

Impact of the Iberian Power Cut on Online Gambling

markspence

04/30/2025 at 8:08 pm

Spain and Portugal suffered from an almost complete power out on Monday. Thousands of players were cut off from their games or sportsbooks. Overall the economic damage exceeds €1.6 billion.

Have people lost their money? Have online gambling accounts been safe during the power outage?

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Power Outage in Spain and Portugal hits Gaming Industry

The Iberian outage cut power and telecoms across Spain/Portugal at midday, knocking out internet and mobile service. Gaming operators quickly went offline.

As Jdigital’s director Jorge Hinojosa told AZARplus, the blackout “significantly affected the online gambling sector,” with “operators and users completely disconnected” for hours and no access to betting platforms.

In practice this meant most online casinos and sportsbooks were inaccessible during the outage. Major sports events were also hit – for example, play at the Madrid Open tennis tournament was suspended during the blackout, illustrating how betting markets were effectively frozen.

Financial/User Impact

Industry spokesmen warned of heavy losses. Jdigital noted the outage caused “direct economic harm” to companies and damaged the sector’s reputation.

Although no detailed breakdown is public, Spain’s employers’ federation (CEOE) estimated the overall economic hit at roughly €1.6 billion (≈0.1% of GDP) – a proxy for the scale of business losses.

Prime Minister Sánchez likewise acknowledged “serious disruption” and “economic losses in businesses” from the blackout.

There have been no credible media reports of individual bettors losing funds in the outage. In a regulated market, unsettled or suspended bets (e.g. on halted games) would typically be voided or refunded.

Anecdotally, social media posts from tipsters noted that clients simply couldn’t place or follow bets during the blackout, but we found no verified cases of gamblers “losing” money due to the power cut.

Industry and Regulatory Response

Gaming industry groups have urged regulators to recognize the exceptional damage. Jdigital’s Hinojosa stressed the sector’s high dependence on critical infrastructure and appealed for “support or compensation” for affected companies.

To date, major operators (online casino/betting brands) and the national regulator have not issued public statements beyond noting the outage. The focus has been on restoring service and investigating the cause (Spain’s government is probing the blackout).

As Sánchez said, authorities will “ensure this never happens again,” but he has made no gambling-specific announcements. In short, the official response has centered on infrastructure and contingency; the online gaming industry is watching for any special relief measures but none have been announced.