Spanish Casinos

But there are still some problems with licensing. Casino sites that want to serve all of Spain have to obtain a federal license from a government agency called “General Directorate for Gambling Regulation”. However, every autonomous region has the right to give a license too. It is much easier to get a license from autonomous regions, but these licenses are limited to that region and not the whole of Spain. As can be guessed, autonomous region licenses are not very popular, and those who want to open a Spanish casino online prefer a federal license. Casino sites that have this license can identify themselves as “licensed in Spain”.

However, despite the lack of legal barriers, the number of Spanish online casinos is not very high. This is because the electronic gaming license is subject to very strict conditions. If we list these conditions briefly:

• A federal license is issued for 10 years and needs to be renewed every 10 years.
• Each game and type of service requires a different license and an additional payment. For example, betting sites have to deposit an indemnity of 2 million EUR. For slots casino / live casino services, the amount is another 2 million EUR. Lastly, websites that offer other types of gambling (lottery, prize draws, contests, etc.) need to deposit 500,000 EUR as an indemnity to the government. For example, if a website is going to offer both casino games and tournament/lottery services, it will have to deposit an indemnity of 2.5 million EUR. This is why sports betting and casino games services are not offered on a single site, as the amount of the indemnity will be 4 million Euros.
• In addition to these, the gambling website must give 0.075% of the profits it earned from each game to the government. This obligation is regulated in addition to the income taxes and negatively affects profit rates in the long run.
• Gambling ads are still prohibited. No promotion is allowed that will show gambling as an “interesting activity”. Online casinos have to follow this rule too, even when they are preparing banners on their sites.

All of these rules and regulations also apply to mobile casinos and other video games that can be played with real money. Finally, we can say that the fact that the taxes are quite high is also a problem. While changing from region to region, Spanish citizens must pay a 20% tax on the profit they make from gambling services.

Online Betting in Spain

The Spanish Gambling Act also regulates online betting. In Spain, you can offer these types of betting through a website by taking a federal license:

• Pool betting on sports and horse racing
• Fixed odds betting on sports and horse racing
• Exchange betting.

The income tax for sports betting companies is quite high. Every betting company has to pay 25% of their annual income as tax. (This rate is up to 40% for terrestrial casinos.) So, although it is legal, local sports betting sites are rarely found in Spain because it is not a profitable business. For the same reasons, Spanish players prefer mostly foreign websites for both casino games and betting.

Deposit and Withdrawal Methods for Spanish Players

Let’s start by giving a hint: If the address of a casino or betting site ends with “.es”, that site has the official Spanish license. In practice, however, this does not create an advantage in terms of deposit and withdrawal: The currency of Spain is the Euro, and this currency can easily be used in online casinos that do not have a Spanish license too.

There is no need to worry when sending money (or accepting payment) to a foreign casino or betting site: You can use the bank transfer and credit card methods without restriction. However, we recommend using e-wallet services and/or prepaid cards for security and transaction speed. PayPal, Neteller, and Skrill are the most suitable e-wallet services for Spanish players. You can also choose AstroPay or Paysafe Card as prepaid cards.

We also recommend that you consider Bitcoin: This encrypted currency is supported by an increasing number of gambling sites, and it is possible to say that this is the best method for both anonymity and security. Moreover, you do not have to pay a commission for any financial transaction.

SBank Transfer – banks in Spain allow casino transfers. Your only challenge is the processing time. It typically takes three to five business days for a fund transfer to clear.

This timeframe applies to both deposit and withdrawals. For withdrawals, you need to add another 24 to 48 hours for the casino management to actually process your withdrawal request.

• Cards – you can use debit cards and credit cards issued by your bank to deposit money into the casino. The good thing about this option is that it is instant. You can play immediately and it typically only takes less than five minutes to complete a transaction.One caveat when using a card is that the withdrawal method is somewhat limited. Most casinos will only allow you to withdraw to a card with a maximum amount. This maximum amount is equal to what you deposited. Your only alternative is to withdraw the excess to other payment methods.

• Cryptocurrency – many casinos now accept cryptocurrency but the most accepted is bitcoin. If you have a bitcoin wallet, you can choose it as a payment method and the casino will convert it into the legal tender iince gambling is legal, banks are not forced to block transactions between players and online gaming facilities. Here are your choices.However, casinos do not allow withdrawal through bitcoin. This means that you can only withdraw in cash terms and you have to do this through another payment method.

• e-Wallets – an e-Wallet is a kind of service where your account is funded by either a bank or a credit card. This goes to your wallet’s account balance which you can use for gambling or online shopping.From this wallet, you can transfer your money to the casino and vice versa. Examples of this are PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller.

Playing at Real Money in an Online Casino in Spain

Playing for real cash is not a walk in the park. Once you make a wrong bet, your money is gone. If you are playing for entertainment, this is fine. But if you are playing to earn more, this can be nerve-wracking. Here are some tips to make your gambling more profitable.

• Have a betting strategy – every game has a strategy that works. Do not confuse strategy with a guaranteed win. It will not be called gambling without the risk of losing.Learn a strategy and understand why it was designed that way. Use the strategy in demo versions of the game and see if it works for you. If it does, use it when betting real cash and make sure you stick to it.
• Only play what you know – never gamble your money for kicks. Understand the rules of the game and how it works. Understand the payout and how you can maximize your bets. For example, betting on a slot machine without knowing if there is a jackpot, wild, scatter, or not is a sure way for you to lose.  
• Set a gambling limit – never gamble more money than what you can afford to lose. The money you use for gambling must be your disposable income. In short, it must be money that you do not need.

Best Spain Casinos Online

Since it is legal, expect to see a lot of operators peddling their services online. The additional problem here is that there are also those who will offer their gambling services despite not having a licence to operate in Spain. Here are some things to remember so you will only choose the best.  

• Licence – it is of utmost importance that you only choose casinos licensed by the government. The official seal must come from the Directorate General of Regulation for Gambling. Without a seal from this, the site is not operating legally.You may be able to play and deposit your funds or withdraw even if the operator is illegal. But once the government gets wind of it, it will be blocked from the entire country and there is no way you can access your funds anymore.Once this happens, you may not even have the means to contact or seek help to get back your money. To begin with, it was operating illegally and you should never have patronized it.

• Game Variability – there are many casinos online and each one is offering a different suite of games. Choose one that can give you a wide variety of choices.Since gambling is legal, you will definitely have options to register at an online casino in Spain that offers not just the common table games but also conventional favourites like the lottery, sports betting, and bingo.This is important because there are bad days and you may not win anything at your favourite game. It is during days like this that you have to shift to another game and try your luck. If the casino of your choice does not have other games you like, you will be forced to register for an account in multiple providers.

• Security – nothing beats the feeling of gambling knowing that your identity, your money, and your financial information are all safe. Review the privacy and security policies of the casinos you are eyeing. Choose carefully and ensure the following:
  • That the website is using Secure Socket Layer technology
  • That the website is encrypting all data that pass through its channels
  • That the website URL starts with HTTPS and not just HTTP.

In the list below, you can see all the online casinos that accept Spanish players. If a casino is not licensed in Spain, you can still sign up and play with real money. (Or, you can try slots free games if supported.) There is no currency difference between Spanish licensed casinos and others: They all accept the Euro. In other words, you don’t experience a financial loss because of the currency exchange rates.

If you want to see more casinos, you can visit our reviews page. By reading our reviews, you can learn everything you are curious about an online casino. All of our content is regularly updated, and all our visitors get up-to-date information. Do not forget to visit us often for the latest bonuses and promotions!

How to Choose Legal Casinos in Spain

Casinos in Spain, whether physical or online, are completely legal. 30 years prior to 2011, online gambling sites and land-based casinos were operating in a relaxed environment but this changed after the Spanish Gambling Act was enacted. The only purpose of the provision was to regulate the operators, including those that are located in the autonomous Spanish regions like Andalusia, Catalonia, and others.

Today, even an online casino in Spain is under tight scrutiny because the government regulates all activities of casinos in Spain revolving around gambling. This includes advertising, too.

The law requires that all companies coordinate with the government and be duly licensed before operating. The law also stipulates that gambling in all forms must be reported and licensed. This includes gambling in any interactive or technological form like over the phone, through the internet, or through landlines.

Essentially, no gambling operator can offer its services to the residents of Spain without a licence. Now, this is not an issue because there are many operators who have secured the necessary permit to operate.

Advantages of Mobile Casinos in Spain

The age of smartphones has come and it is not likely to go away. Although playing on a laptop or desktop provides you with a better gaming experience, there are more benefits to playing on mobile sans the screen size.

• Accessibility – nothing is more frustrating than being unable to access your favourite games at any time of your choosing. With mobile, you can gamble anytime and anywhere. There is really no place on earth where you cannot access the casinos for as long as you are connected to the web.  
• Single Platform – all games now run on engines, also called platforms, which do not require anything extra from your end. Before the modern smartphone, you need to download the game and install it and it will only run if you are connected to the server.
• One game connects to one server and this proved to be inefficient. Today, there are game aggregators that will run the games from the backend and you can play it on any device.
• Variability – the game aggregators also make it possible for a casino to run as many games even if these are developed by different companies. This means that you can gamble on games made by giants like NetEnt and Microgaming even if you are registered to only one casino.
• Portability – the mobile device is small enough for you to carry anywhere you go. You cannot take a desktop with you and you certainly cannot bring a laptop all the time. It is heavy and space consuming. A smartphone fits snuggly in your pocket.  

Conclusion

Spain is a haven for a gambler. Since the government is lenient and allows casinos to operate, you will not experience any shortage of games to play. The only thing you need to do now is to choose which casino is the best one that will offer more value for your money.

You need to make that decision now and register. Test your luck and gaming skills today!