Online gambling in Spain
While many other EU Member countries have already legislated (either in favor or against) online gambling, the Spanish government has been slow to declare its hand. In mid 2009 however, it was announced that Spain will be introducing a regulatory regime and opening its market up to online gambling operators – an approach consistent with EU law and endorsed by the European Commission (“EC”).
At the time of writing, no details of the regulations and licensing process were available, however media outlets were reporting a stampede of operator activity jostling for position in the line for licenses. A bunch of big EU based gambling organizations like bet365, Betvictor and William Hill were quick to state their intentions to apply for licenses and aggressively enter the Spanish market. In August, William Hill, looking to gain a brand awareness foothold in Spain announced it would be one of three main sponsors of La Vuelta, and name sponsor of the sprinters’ Jersey Azul. This will be the first time such an company has been allowed to be one of the event’s main sponsors.
While most live casino operators accepted Spanish players prior to the above developments, now additional resources will no doubt be directed toward tailoring services toward this region. Certainly residents of Spain will likely see more mainstream advertising and sponsorship from online gambling operators in the future.
To check progress on adoption of new regulations visit the Spanish Gaming Commission
website.
[Update May 2011]
Online gambling legislation was passed by the Spanish Congress allowing locally licensed operators to offer online casino games. Operators will be licensed and regulated on a regional level by newly formed bodies, the Council for Gaming Policy and the National Gaming Commission. The legislation is still subject to EC review but paves the way for online casinos licensed within Spain and able to advertise in the mainstream throughout the country.
On 26 May the autonomous region of Madrid awarded the first online gambling license pursuant to the new law to Casino Gran Madrid who are expected to launch an online casino powered by Playtech.
[Update June 2012]
On June 1 2012, Spanish authorities issues their first round of online gambling licenses to offshore based operators. A number of the successful applicants, including William Hill, bet365, Betfair and 888 Casino launched their Spanish ‘.es’ websites within months of receiving their licenses. Playtech announced in July its intent to launch a live dealer product tailored to Spanish players and streamed from a local casino and in January 2013 revealed that the casino in question would be the Casino Gran Madrid.
[Update February 2013]
On February 19, Evolution Gaming and 888 live casino announced the launch of live casino games for Spanish players streamed from Casino Rincon de Pepe in Murcia.
Best live casino for Spanish players
All of the below live dealer casinos offer full EURO banking and play as well as Spanish language website and support capabilities.
 Casinos |
 Player access |
 Banking |
 Toll free support |
 Local language |
 Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Read review | Visit |
No restrictions on sign -ups from Spain | No deposit restrictions. Maintain account in € EURO |
Yes | Spanish dealers inside Spanish land based casino | Games live streamed from tables inside Casino Rincon de Pepe in Murcia |
 Read review | Visit |
No restrictions on sign -ups from Spain | No deposit restrictions. Maintain account in € EURO |
No | Full Spanish language website and support capability | European based dealer room with Euro centric games |
 Read review | Visit |
No restrictions on Spanish player sign -ups |
No deposit restrictions. Maintain account in € EURO |
Yes | Full Spanish language website and support capability | Euro based dealer studio including blackjack, baccarat, roulette and baccarat variations. |
