Under the new law, ratified in , advertising of any form of gambling within the country is severely limited—similar to changes made in the UK during the same year. It claims these changes are logical to help reduce gambling addiction and irresponsible behaviour while placing bets.

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Home Other News Entertainment What Are the Gambling Regulations in Spain? RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR. Three arrests over Marbella shooting: Two Swedish men were targeted by rival gang members in Nueva Andalucia, say police. With technological advancements, the introduction of online casinos is further enhancing the landscape, allowing the thrill of Spanish gambling to be experienced anywhere, anytime.

This growth, coupled with the continuation of the social and traditional elements that define Spanish casinos, suggests that this vibrant culture will continue to entertain, captivate, and thrive for many years to come.

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The first thing to note is that gambling has not always been legal in Spain. Beginning as cultural clubs as far back as the s, what would One distinct feature of Spanish casino culture is its social element. Casinos are seen as meeting points, where people gather to socialize The online gaming environment in Spain is constantly changing as a result of changes in consumer expectations and technological advancements

Spanish gambling culture - Spain - Culture The Spanish are a nation of gamblers and bet a higher proportion of their income than almost any other nation. It's estimated that the Spanish The first thing to note is that gambling has not always been legal in Spain. Beginning as cultural clubs as far back as the s, what would One distinct feature of Spanish casino culture is its social element. Casinos are seen as meeting points, where people gather to socialize The online gaming environment in Spain is constantly changing as a result of changes in consumer expectations and technological advancements

com were still not accounted for and were, therefore, considered illegal. By , online casinos had exploded internationally, and Spain was missing out heavily on the new market. To combat this, the government created a special commission—the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling DGOJ —to work out the finer details of online gambling in the country.

A year later, in , the commission released the Spanish Gambling Act—new legislation that covers all gambling within the Spanish borders.

Under the act, online gambling, including slots and poker, was officially legalised. Part of legalising online casinos was under the condition that any online casino offering services within the country needed to be licensed by the DGOJ.

To get certified, sites must apply through the appropriate procedures and provide independent testing and validation that their games are fair and in no way rigged. Because all sites operating within the country must be licensed by the DGOJ, offshore operators and those working from other countries are strictly prohibited from offering their services there.

Aside from the regulations currently in force over what operators are allowed to offer services in the country, the government has also passed other subsequent laws that deal directly with gambling. Speaking to the winnings gained by players while gambling, the law states that all winnings shall be seen as a form of income and will, therefore, be taxable.

The final substantial law regarding gambling is relatively new and is formed by an amendment to the Spanish Gambling Act. Under the new law, ratified in , advertising of any form of gambling within the country is severely limited—similar to changes made in the UK during the same year.

It claims these changes are logical to help reduce gambling addiction and irresponsible behaviour while placing bets. Log in to leave a comment.

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Forgot your password? Get help. Politica de privacidad. Create an account. your email. Password recovery. In the Spanish government passed its first Internet gambling laws, which legalised sports betting both online and in licenced betting outlets.

Physical casinos across the country are overseen by the 17 distinct regional governments, with the central government in Madrid taking responsibility for national regulations. The first legitimate betting shops were opened towards the start of , with British companies including William Hill pairing up with Spanish firms in order to open up a large number of locations in a relatively short space of time.

Smaller autonomous regions such as Catalonia began licensing casinos in their districts, although online poker, slots and blackjack remained illegal.

Despite the slow start, the Spanish government quickly began to revolutionise the country's online gambling laws , with a commission created in order to work out the finer points of how a well-regulated online gaming sector would operate. The government now uses a year licencing scheme for casino operators in the country, although the regulatory body does request that providers house their servers in Spain itself.

Control and monitoring are conducted through operators' internal control systems, which record their transactions and ensure that the regulator can maintain permanent control over gambling activities. This affords the DGOJ continuous control of the operator's activities and transactions, and ensures strict compliance with the regulations.

Insofar as the services of an operator which is physically located outside the Spanish territory are offered in the Spanish territory or to individuals located in Spain, that foreign operator must comply with the applicable Spanish gambling regulations.

In such cases, the gambling activity of the foreign operator is deemed by the General Directorate for Gambling Regulation DGOJ to be taking place in Spain. Only foreign operators from the European Economic Area can offer gambling services within the Spanish territory, insofar as they are duly licensed by the DGOJ.

Foreign operators cannot provide remote gambling services in Spain without first obtaining the corresponding licences from the DGOJ.

Failure to do so constitutes a very serious infraction which is subject to:. Although the remote licences in Spain are local, the Spanish regulations do not prohibit operators licensed to provide Spanish gambling licences from providing gambling services overseas.

The gambling regime in Spain distinguishes between remote and non-remote gambling, as the applicable regulations, licensing regimes and even regulators for both activities are different. Remote gambling at the federal level is subject to the Spanish Gambling Act; it is regulated by the federal regulator the General Directorate for Gambling Regulation and subject to the federal licensing regime.

Non-remote gambling is regulated by the relevant autonomous region and the regional gambling authorities, and is subject to the corresponding regional licensing regime. Given the regulatory distinction in the Spanish gambling sector, the licensing regimes for online gambling and land-based gambling are different.

In addition, in the case of land-based gambling, each autonomous region has its own regulations and licensing system with respect to its territory and competence. Although a gambling activity licence is closely linked to the operator's licence, there are also activities licences per s e, at both the federal and regional levels.

There are no licences for equipment; instead, equipment must be duly certified by a testing house and homologated by the regulator at either the federal or regional level. Licences for online gambling at the federal level are awarded and issued by the General Directorate for Gambling Regulation DGOJ , which is currently under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.

For regional licences land-based and online at the regional level , the body responsible for awarding and overseeing licences is the respective regional gambling authority which, in most cases, is under the umbrella of the regional departments of finance or interior.

At federal level, general gambling licences are granted for periods of 10 years and are renewable for the same timeframe. Single licences are granted for periods of between two and five years depending on the type of licence and are renewable for the same timeframe.

Land-based gambling licences are subject to specific regional regulation and will depend on the type of licence. Casino licences, for instance, are subject to a previous public call and are limited in terms of overall numbers. With regard to other types of land-based licences — for instance, for gaming halls or bingo halls — the key features are different by region.

The main requirements in order to obtain a general gambling licence in Spain to operate online at the federal level are as follows:. The substantive requirements for land-based licences vary from one region to another and also differ depending on the specific type of licence.

The documents needed in order to apply for a licence are divided into three groups, relating to the applicant's legal, economic and technical solvency. The large list of documentation required for licensing purposes includes the following:.

Also, operators must have a bank account opened in Spain for the purpose of protecting players' funds. The timetable depends on the type of licence and region.

However, the average timeframe for licences to be reviewed and granted is approximately six months from submission. The application fees vary by region and type of licence. The application fees for a gambling licence at the federal level are:.

In addition, applicants must provide an economic guarantee for each general licence they are interested in applying for. These amounts are payable only for the application of the licence and until the end of the year following grant of the licence.

Licensed operators are entitled to operate and develop their activities under the scope of the licence granted. The holder of a general licence for online gambling is entitled to apply for a single licence under the umbrella of its general licence at any time; and the holder of a single licence has the right to provide the specific gambling product under the specific single licence.

In such cases, transfer of the licence is subject to the prior authorisation of the regulator, which will be granted only if the entities comply with all necessary requirements.

This basically involves evidencing:. Each of the 17 regions in Spain and the two autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla have their own specific regulations, and consequently, specific requirements and restrictions apply to these different facilities. Although the different regional regulations are generally similar in terms of the licensing and authorisation procedures, the applicable requirements and conditions vary from region to region.

In this regard, the requirements applicable to gaming halls are similar in all regions — for example:. By contrast, the requirements applicable to casinos and betting shops vary significantly from one region to another — for example:.

Following the regulatory distinction in the Spanish gambling sector, the different penalties and sanctions for breach of the gambling legislation are approved and foreseen by the Spanish Gambling Act and by the regulations of each autonomous region with respect to its territory and competence.

In general terms, sanctions are divided into very serious, serious and minor; and the associated penalties also vary depending on the severity of the sanction.

The regional regulators are also entitled to revoke or temporarily withdraw a licence. Physical gambling-related advertising is subject both to the royal decree and to the regional regulations on gambling advertising. Consequently, it must comply with all requirements that the autonomous regions may impose in accordance with their regulations.

However, advertising in gaming-focused printed media at the national level or at sports facilities through a sponsorship agreement is not subject to the regional regulations, but only to the principles of the royal decree. The new royal decree has also tightened the gambling advertising regulations at the regional level.

In this regard, most regions are in the process of adapting their regulations on physical advertising accordingly and are thus taking a more restrictive approach to gambling advertising, with some even prohibiting it altogether. The Spanish regulations require both online and land-based gambling operators to adopt comprehensive corporate social responsibility policies which recognise that gambling is a complex phenomenon, and which combine preventive, awareness-raising, intervention and control measures, in addition to measures to remedy any negative effects caused.

In this regard, gambling operators must draw up an action plan to mitigate the possible damaging effects of gambling, which incorporates the basic elements of a responsible gambling policy.

In doing so, operators should:. The consumer protection regulations in Spain are well developed; and instead of balancing the positions of consumers and companies, they are clearly tilted towards the over protection of consumers.

In addition to the provisions on social responsibility set out in the applicable regulations — in particular, those on responsible gambling — and those of the Consumer General Protection Act which contains prolific provisions aimed at protecting the rights of consumers , the General Directorate for Gambling Regulation has issued guidance on the drafting of terms and conditions of gambling operators.

This aims to reinforce the contractual position of consumers and to protect the governing principles of any gambling contract, as follows:. The anti-money laundering AML legislation has been slightly revised to accommodate certain needs arising from gambling activities in Spain, in both the remote and non-remote sectors.

However, the reality today is that the AML legislation and the gambling regulations should be updated to strengthen the powers and duties of gambling operators, given the subterfuges used by individuals seeking to launder money through gambling.

Based on the definition of 'gambling' in Spain, the concept of gambling subject to licence requires the existence of three essential elements:.

If one or more of these elements is missing, the product or activity will be exempt from the gambling regime and regulations. Accordingly, games of pure skill fall outside the scope of gambling, as they do not involve a degree of chance; and prizes in contests, sweepstakes or prize draws are also exempt, as long as these are free and no economic contribution is required to participate.

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