Spain Gambling Laws 2025: Complete Regulatory Guide

Legal Status Summary

Spain operates one of the most comprehensive and mature regulated gambling markets in the European Union under the supervision of the Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ). The Gambling Act of 2011 (Law 13/2011) established the current regulatory framework, permitting licensed operators to offer:

• Online casino games (slots, table games, live dealer games)
• Sports betting (pre-match and live in-play betting)
• Online poker (tournaments and cash games)
• Online bingo
• Contests and tournaments (fantasy sports and skill-based competitions)

Spain's gambling market is notable for its high participation rate, with approximately 85% of Spanish adults engaging in some form of gambling annually, including lottery participation. The market generated €14.0 billion in gross gaming revenue in 2024, with online gambling accounting for approximately 30% of total revenue.

Land-Based Gambling

Land-based gambling is legal and extensively regulated in Spain:

• Casinos: Over 40 licensed land-based casinos operated under regional concessions
• Bingo halls: Approximately 400 bingo halls; separately licensed by autonomous communities
• Gaming halls and slot arcades: Regulated at regional level with thousands of licensed machines
• Lotteries: State lottery (LAE - Loterías y Apuestas del Estado) and regional lottery operators (ONCE for the blind community)
• Betting shops: Licensed retail sports betting locations

Spain's gambling culture is deeply embedded, with the Christmas lottery (El Gordo) representing one of the world's largest lottery draws and a significant cultural tradition.

Regulators & Licensing Model

Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ)

The DGOJ, part of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, is headquartered in Madrid and oversees all online gambling activities and interstate land-based gambling. The DGOJ's responsibilities include:

• Issuing and supervising licenses for online gambling operators
• Monitoring compliance with technical, responsible gambling, and advertising requirements
• Managing the RGIAJ national self-exclusion register
• Coordinating with regional gambling authorities (autonomous communities regulate land-based gambling within their territories)
• Enforcing AML/KYC obligations and transaction monitoring
• Taking enforcement action against unlicensed operators
• Blocking unlicensed gambling sites through ISP orders
• Publishing quarterly market reports and statistics

As of January 2025, the DGOJ has issued over 90 licenses covering various gambling verticals. Spain's licensing regime is product-specific, requiring separate licenses for casino games, sports betting, poker, bingo, and contests.

Licensing Requirements

Operators seeking a Spanish gambling license must demonstrate:

• Legal establishment: Registration in Spain or another EU/EEA jurisdiction with tax compliance in Spain
• Financial stability: Adequate capitalization, financial guarantees (bank guarantee or insurance policy), and segregated player funds
• Technical compliance: Gaming systems certified by accredited testing laboratories; servers located in Spain or approved EU jurisdictions with monitoring access for DGOJ
• RGIAJ integration: Mandatory connection to national self-exclusion register with real-time checking
• Responsible gambling: Comprehensive player protection measures including deposit limits, self-assessment tools, reality checks, and intervention protocols
• Data protection: GDPR compliance and secure data storage
• AML/KYC: Robust customer verification, transaction monitoring, suspicious activity reporting, and compliance with Spanish AML regulations
• Advertising compliance: Adherence to Royal Decree 958/2020 and related advertising restrictions

License fees vary by product type. Initial application fees range from €8,000 to €50,000, with annual renewal fees adjusted based on operator revenue. License terms are typically 10 years, renewable upon compliance review.

Regional Coordination

Spain's 17 autonomous communities (regions) regulate land-based gambling within their territories, creating coordination requirements between regional and national authorities. The DGOJ focuses on online gambling and interstate matters, while regions handle local casinos, bingo halls, and gaming machines.

What's Allowed

Online Gambling Products

Product-Specific Restrictions

Sports Betting: Live in-play betting is fully permitted. Betting on Spanish amateur leagues below the third tier and events involving minors is prohibited. The DGOJ coordinates with sports integrity organizations to monitor suspicious betting patterns.

Online Poker: Spain participates in shared liquidity agreements with France, Portugal, and Italy, allowing licensed operators in these jurisdictions to pool players for tournaments and cash games. This arrangement significantly increases player pools and tournament prize money.

Casino Games: No specific restrictions on game types, stake sizes, or spin speeds beyond general responsible gambling requirements. Operators have flexibility in game offerings within licensed categories.

Player Legality

Spanish residents aged 18 or older may legally participate in online gambling through DGOJ-licensed operators. Players face no criminal penalties for using licensed services, and gambling winnings are subject to taxation only above certain thresholds (currently €40,000 for lottery prizes; lower thresholds for other gambling).

Playing on unlicensed platforms is not explicitly criminalized for players, but the DGOJ strongly discourages such activity. Players using unlicensed operators lack consumer protection recourse, and the DGOJ actively blocks access to unlicensed sites.

Taxation of Winnings

Gambling winnings in Spain are subject to taxation:

• Lottery and betting prizes: 20% tax on winnings exceeding €40,000
• Other gambling: Progressive tax rates apply based on total annual income; operators withhold taxes on certain prize types

Cross-Border Play

Spanish residents may technically access gambling services licensed in other EU countries under freedom of service provisions, though Spain takes the position that operators must hold Spanish licenses to actively market to Spanish residents. The DGOJ enforces against unlicensed operators targeting Spanish players.

Advertising & Affiliate Rules

Spain implemented comprehensive gambling advertising restrictions through Royal Decree 958/2020, effective since November 2020 and subsequently tightened.

Advertising Time Restrictions

Gambling advertising on television, radio, and social media is only permitted between 1:00 AM and 5:00 AM, with complete prohibition outside this window. This represents one of the most restrictive time-based advertising bans in Europe.

Additional Advertising Prohibitions

• Sports broadcasts: No gambling advertising during sports event broadcasts, regardless of time
• Sponsorships: Gambling operator sponsorships of sports teams and events heavily restricted; jersey sponsorships permitted with limitations
• Celebrity and influencer bans: Use of public figures, particularly those with youth appeal, prohibited in gambling advertising
• Social media restrictions: Organic posts and influencer partnerships effectively prohibited outside 1:00 AM - 5:00 AM window
• Targeting minors: Absolute prohibition on content appealing to persons under 18
• Bonus advertising: Strict requirements for transparency of terms and conditions; exaggerated claims prohibited

Mandatory Advertising Content

All gambling advertising must include:

• Clear age restriction notice (18+)
• Responsible gambling message: "Juega con responsabilidad" (Play responsibly)
• Warning about addiction risks
• Reference to self-exclusion options (RGIAJ)

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is permitted but subject to the same advertising restrictions, including time-based limitations. Affiliates must:

• Only promote DGOJ-licensed operators
• Register with operators and comply with compliance monitoring
• Include mandatory responsible gambling messages and age warnings
• Ensure complete transparency of bonus terms and conditions
• Avoid targeting minors or vulnerable populations
• Comply with time restrictions (content effectively cannot be promoted outside 1:00 AM - 5:00 AM window)

The DGOJ holds operators responsible for affiliate conduct. Multiple operators have been fined for non-compliant affiliate partnerships, creating strong incentives for restrictive affiliate agreements and monitoring.

Payments & Banking Restrictions

Spain enforces payment controls as part of its regulatory framework:

Site and Payment Blocking

The DGOJ maintains an updated blacklist of unlicensed gambling operators and issues blocking orders to Spanish internet service providers. As of January 2025, over 1,200 domains have been blocked.

The DGOJ coordinates with payment processors and banks to disrupt financial transactions to unlicensed operators, though payment blocking is less aggressive than in some EU jurisdictions like the Netherlands or Germany.

Permitted Payment Methods

Licensed operators may accept:

• Credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard)
• Bank transfers and instant banking
• E-wallets (PayPal, Skrill, Neteller) where compliant with Spanish regulations
• Prepaid vouchers (Paysafecard) subject to identification requirements

All payment methods must support identity verification and transaction monitoring per AML requirements.

Player Deposit Limits

Spain requires licensed operators to implement deposit limit systems:

• Players must set deposit limits when opening accounts or can set them voluntarily at any time
• Operators must monitor player behavior and intervene for concerning deposit patterns
• Limits can be lowered immediately; increases require a cooling-off period (typically 24 hours)

Enforcement & Penalties

The DGOJ employs comprehensive enforcement strategies targeting both unlicensed operators and non-compliant licensed entities.

Actions Against Unlicensed Operators

• Domain blocking: ISP-level blocking orders preventing Spanish players from accessing unlicensed sites
• Payment disruption: Coordination with financial institutions to block transactions
• Search engine de-listing: Requests to remove unlicensed operators from Spanish search results
• Administrative fines: Penalties for operators identified as targeting Spanish players without authorization
• Criminal prosecution: In egregious cases, referral to prosecutors for criminal charges

Penalties for Licensed Operators

The DGOJ has issued substantial penalties for compliance violations:

• Fines ranging from €100,000 to €10 million depending on violation severity, with advertising violations particularly heavily penalized
• License suspension for serious or repeated violations
• License revocation in cases of systemic non-compliance
• Public warnings damaging operator reputation

Notable 2024-2025 enforcement actions include:

• €6.5 million cumulative fines for advertising violations, particularly during prohibited time periods
• €3.2 million penalty for inadequate responsible gambling interventions
• Multiple fines for RGIAJ integration failures and accepting play from self-excluded individuals
• Significant penalties for AML/KYC deficiencies

Responsible Gambling Tools & Self-Exclusion

RGIAJ: Registro General de Interdicciones de Acceso al Juego

The RGIAJ is Spain's mandatory centralized self-exclusion register, operational since 2011. Managed by the DGOJ, the RGIAJ allows individuals to self-exclude from:

• All DGOJ-licensed online gambling platforms
• Land-based casinos
• Bingo halls
• Betting shops
• Gaming halls and slot arcades (in coordination with regional authorities)

RGIAJ registration can be:

• Voluntary: Individuals self-register online or through authorized offices
• Imposed: Court orders or administrative decisions in response to third-party petitions (family members, guardians)

Exclusion periods include:

• Minimum 6 months: Shortest voluntary exclusion
• Extended periods: 1 year, 2 years, 5 years
• Indefinite: Permanent exclusion requiring formal application to lift after minimum period

All licensed operators must check RGIAJ in real-time before allowing account registration and regularly thereafter. Violations result in immediate substantial fines and potential license revocation.

Mandatory Responsible Gambling Features

DGOJ-licensed operators must implement:

• Deposit limits: Mandatory or voluntary limits that players can set; increases subject to cooling-off periods
• Loss limits: Optional caps over defined periods
• Session limits: Optional time-based limits for gambling sessions
• Reality checks: Notifications at regular intervals during extended play
• Self-assessment tools: Questionnaires to help players evaluate gambling behavior
• Panic button: Immediate self-exclusion option prominently displayed
• Cool-off periods: Temporary account suspensions (24 hours to 6 months)
• Player monitoring: Algorithmic detection of problem gambling indicators with mandatory interventions

Problem Gambling Resources

Spain maintains comprehensive support infrastructure for problem gambling:

• National Helpline: 900 200 802 (toll-free); confidential support and counseling
• Jugarbien.es: DGOJ-operated website with educational resources and self-help tools
• FEJAR (Spanish Federation of Rehabilitated Gamblers): Support groups and treatment programs nationwide
• Public health system: Specialized gambling addiction treatment through national and regional healthcare services

CS2 / Skin Gambling Notes

Spain's approach to CS2 skin gambling and esports betting reflects its comprehensive gambling regulatory framework.

Esports Betting

Betting on esports matches through DGOJ-licensed sports betting operators is fully legal and regulated. Licensed operators offer extensive markets on Counter-Strike tournaments, League of Legends, Dota 2, Valorant, and other competitive gaming events. These bets are subject to the same regulatory requirements as traditional sports betting.

Spain is one of the leading European markets for esports betting, with major operators offering dedicated esports sections and specialized markets.

Skin Gambling

Third-party skin gambling platforms—where players wager CS2 skins on casino-style games or match outcomes—face regulatory scrutiny in Spain:

• Licensing requirement position: The DGOJ's position is that skin gambling constitutes gambling activity if skins have monetary value (tradeable/marketable). Such platforms would require appropriate DGOJ licensing.
• Site blocking: The DGOJ includes known skin gambling sites in its blacklist, subject to ISP-level domain blocking
• Youth protection: Skin gambling platforms' lack of age verification creates particular concern given Spain's strong youth protection policies and high youth gaming participation
• Consumer protection gaps: Unlicensed platforms lack the responsible gambling tools, dispute resolution, and financial safeguards required of licensed operators

In December 2025, Valve's tournament policy update prohibiting CS2 teams from displaying skin betting logos during official events aligns with Spanish regulatory concerns about normalizing gambling to esports audiences, particularly minors.

Loot Boxes

Spain has not formally classified loot boxes as gambling, though the DGOJ has studied the issue. The Spanish Consumer Affairs Ministry has expressed concern about loot boxes in games marketed to minors and supports EU-level coordination on regulation.

Several Spanish consumer protection organizations have called for loot box regulation, particularly focusing on transparency requirements (disclosing odds) and age restrictions.

Sources & Further Reading

This guide is compiled from official regulatory sources, industry reports, and legal analyses. For the most current information, consult:

• Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ): www.ordenacionjuego.es – Official regulator website with licensing information, compliance guidelines, quarterly market reports, and enforcement updates (Spanish/English)
• Gambling Act of 2011 (Law 13/2011): Full legislative text available via Spanish government portals
• Royal Decree 958/2020: Advertising restrictions regulation
• RGIAJ Self-Exclusion Portal: Registration through DGOJ website
• Jugarbien.es: www.jugarbien.es – Responsible gambling resources and education
• FEJAR: www.fejar.org – Problem gambling support organization

Frequently Asked Questions

Last Updated: January 2025