As established in the Spanish Gambling Act (Act 13/2011 dated May 27, approving the gambling provisions), two separate licenses are needed for an operator to offer online gambling activities in Spain. The spanish Regulator DGOJ published last Friday the 2nd quarterly report on the evolution of the online gambling market. We review the most relevant data of a document that questions the effect of the measures carried out by the Government and that are those that have become the foundations of the imminent Royal Decree that will regulate the advertising of the game. While the gambling operator revenues in Spain have dropped significantly since last year, the market has managed to curb job loss statistics to 15%. Have Spanish operators got the resilience to recover fully with yet more obstacles on the way? Spain emerged on the gambling map after the regulator published information in November, 2019 that the country’s gambling sector in 2018 amounted to €9.87 billion. In comparison, the gambling industry in the United Kingdom is presently worth £14.5 billion or €16.93 billion notwithstanding currency conversion rates.

“Each operator will be issued with a dossier of technical requirements and instructions when they are awarded a licence and will have a period to ensure they are compliant before the opening.” a source told Egaming Review (EGR) magazine.

On May 25th, SBR reported that Betfair agreed to pay up to €10 million in back-tax to the Spanish tax authority. Betfair joined the likes of fellow online gaming companies SportingBet (SBR rating D+), who was to pay €17 million, and Bwin (SBR rating B-) with a whopping €33 million.

The back-tax is said to be a separate process from the gambling regulation, though the appointed regulator has the authority to approve or deny licences due to an operator’s standing with the Spanish Tax Authority.

Added on August 2, 2017, in Gambling Articles by Gambling Gurus

Spanish Authorities Respond to Growing Online Casino Market

Spanish Gambling Markets

Everyone loves a flutter, and the growth of the internet since the turn of the millennium has seen the online gaming and casino market flourish into a $36 billion dollar industry – and one that is set to almost double over the next three years.

Naturally enough, with growth comes an increase in regulatory attention and government legislation, particularly when it concerns an industry that can be so emotive.

Of course, the nature of this regulation varies from one country to another, and this creates an interesting dynamic.

Online businesses can potentially draw a customer base from anywhere on the planet. From a regulatory perspective, it is therefore far easier to focus on the provider than the customer – after all, every operator has to be based somewhere.

Spanish Gambling Market Size

Online Gambling in Spain

Spain is a country where the industry is growing at an enormous rate – in fact, some experts believe the Spanish market is even bigger than the UK, which is generally seen as the global home of online betting.

Regulation-wise, the country has seen a dramatic change over recent years. Just a decade ago, it was essentially a free-for-all, with the nation’s 17 autonomous regions overseeing all forms of gambling according to their own rules.

All this changed in 2011 with the introduction of the Spanish Gambling Act. While this covered all aspects of gambling, including the national lotteries, the authorities made no secret of the fact that it was predominantly aimed at the growing online and electronic casino market.

As well as requiring all operators to apply for a licence, it also restricted advertising and promotion to licence holders only.

When it was first enacted, the legislation completely outlawed slots type games!

This was clearly a situation that would be impractical in the long term – Unsurprisingly, this restriction was lifted in 2014, when Spain made some amendments to the Act, and at the same time granted ten new licences.

A Third Wave

Since then, the online casino segment has continued to thrive – in fact, it has done better than anyone could have imagined. In 2016, the market was worth almost $430 million, constituting an increase of over 30 percent on 2015. Given the numbers, it perhaps comes as no surprise that the nation is rumoured to be opening the doors to a third wave of new licensees later this year.

In 2014, changes to the regulations were accompanied by the opening of a new licensing window, and commentators expect to see the same happen this year, although formal confirmation from Spanish Finance Minister Luis de Guindos is still awaited.

In addition to the new licensing opportunities, it is anticipated that the authorities will also review the rules governing advertising, poker liquidity and the legalisation of a wider range of blackjack variants, and of fantasy sports, which are prohibited under the current rules.