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Legal casino gambling age in Spain

Gambling Industry Overview in Spain

The following approaches will be presented

Gambling legislation in Spain
Gambling authorities in Spain
Online casinos in Spain
and more

Gambling is a legal activity in Spain and it is a favorite pastime of local citizens. The country boasts a flourishing gambling industry due to the fact that Spain is currently one of the most avid gambling nations in the world.

The state national lottery (Lotería Nacional) is the most popular form of gambling in the country, and its 200-plus-year-old lottery called El Gordo ('the fat one'), the Spanish Christmas Lottery holds the title of the 'largest in the world.'

Flag of Spain Still, the country has set strict rules about the legal age of the players who are provided with the opportunity to wager. Spanish law is categorical that no minors (under 18) are allowed to enter gaming venues such as casinos, slot machine centers, gaming parlors, and bingo halls.

There are currently more than 60 casinos and 7 racetracks spread over some 35 cities within the country’s 17 autonomous regions, and two autonomous cities. More than 250,000 slot machines have also been reported to be present in Spain; that's more than there are in Las Vegas.

Overview

The Spanish Government decriminalized gambling in 1977, prior to that, during the Franco regime, most gambling activities were prohibited, with only the National Lottery, sweepstakes, sports pools, and some minority bets allowed. After Franco's death in 1975, gambling was legalized, including bingos, casinos, and ‘recreational betting machines with prizes,’ known as “tragaperras” (slot machines).

The country's gambling landscape changed drastically in May 2011 with the introduction of the Spanish Gambling Act, the main purpose of which was to coordinate the regulation of online betting in Spain, as it extends beyond regional boundaries. Regional gambling, however, continues to be regulated by each autonomous region.

Some of the most-preferred gambling activities in the country are lottery and bingo games, bullfighting, horse racing, and dog racing games, poker games as well as online gambling games.

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Overall, the gambling laws on the territory of Spain are considered somehow more relaxed than the ones in many other European countries. Until their official regulation in 2006, gambling venues and online betting operations were regulated primarily by the regional government across Spain.

Relevant Legislation

Gambling Legislation in Spain According to the rules of Spanish law, the state and the regional authorities are empowered with the responsibility of regulating the gambling market in the country.

The activities that are located and offered in two or more regions at a time, are to be controlled by the State authorities. However, in the event that certain gambling activity is offered in a single country's region only, it is controlled and managed by the corresponding regional authorities.

This basically means that gambling activities that have a national scope are monitored and controlled by the State authorities. Such activities are usually based online, just like most national lotteries. The regional authorities are mostly focused on regulating brick-and-mortar traditional gambling activities. Online gambling, however, is regulated not only by the State authorities but by the regional authorities as well. Still, the extent of regional authorities' responsibilities is restricted. Their scope is also limited to the online games offered to the region's residents only.

Spain also has a special authority that is entitled to the powers to monitor, control, and regulate gambling activities in the country, the General Directorate for the Regulation of Gambling Activities. The latter is subject to the Ministry of Taxes.

As mentioned above, gambling activities in Spain are officially allowed and controlled by the country's law. The Gambling Act – Act No. 13/2011 from May 26th, 2011 is the major legislative reference to the gambling market in Spain. This Act is considered as the key one for the market and sets the general rules for the activities related to gambling at a national level in the country.

The Gambling Act is focused on regulating the national gambling operations through a variety of means, which include the media, the Internet, means of mass communications, including interactive ones. The provision of games that is carried out by the lottery operators LAE and ONCE is also currently monitored and controlled by the Act. The latter's scope also includes activities such as advertising, promotion, and sponsorship of betting activities.

Spain, of course, has a number of secondary regulatory acts when it comes to gambling activities. The basic technical requirements for gambling activities are set by the Royal Decree No.1613/2011. The regulatory regime, on the other hand, is set by the Royal Decree No.1614/2011.

The terms and conditions that regulate the application process for general licenses for the operation of gambling activities under the main legislative act of Spain are set by Order No. HAP/1995/2014. The application procedure for singular licenses in the industry is set by the Resolution approved by the DGOJ on October 15th, 2014. The Ministry also issued several Orders that are focused on the different types of games that are provided to the players in the Spanish gambling market.

Online Gambling in Spain

Internet Gambling in Spain Several years ago, there were no specific regulations of online gambling in Spain. The beginning was set more than a decade ago, in 2002, when regulation and legalization of web-based gambling in the country was first established. The betting landscape in the country finally changed in 2011 with the introduction of the Spanish Gambling Act that created a framework for licensing online gambling operators in Spain.

The Law 13/2011 on Gambling (the Gambling Act) came into effect several months later, in June 2012. Since the law's enforcement, more than 70 gambling operators have been granted licenses. As a result, more than one million players started to wager within the Spanish online gambling market before the end of 2012. Currently, statistics show that more than 50% of the players who use the activities and services offered online are engaged in sports betting.

Online slots and exchange betting were prohibited in the country until recently. Later, Spanish lawmakers made a decision to alter these regulations, which led to the official introduction of the options at the end of July 2014.

The operators that want to obtain a license must apply to get one for creating a web-based casino first.

As we stated earlier, the major purpose of the Gambling Act of the country is to set some rules and harmonize the regulation of online gambling activities in Spain. The authorities have realized that in order to do that, national coordination and efficiency is needed. This was a great step forward for the Spanish Government, which aims to create stronger, united, and consolidated gaming legislation in the country.

The Spanish Gambling Act was introduced in February 2011, after which the Spanish Congress passed it a few months later. The law was published in the Spanish State Gazette on May 28th, 2011.

Still, the Spanish Gambling Act provides the autonomous communities with the opportunity to determine the major gambling regulations and follow some policies within their respective regions. However, its main goal was to create a united regulatory framework for the entire country on matters of all forms of online gaming actions.

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Spain Online Casino Guide

Gambling Industry Overview in Spain