Spain Casino Bonuses

Many casino enthusiasts prefer to gamble online because online casinos tend to offer generous promotions for newcomers and regular patrons. Under a revised draft Royal Decree on Gambling Advertising, Spanish licensees are allowed to offer promotions only to players who have an account at the specific casino for at least 30 days and have verified their identity. Therefore, casino operators must focus on retaining their existing players instead of luring newcomers.

Moreover, promotional offers must be shown in a separate section and addressed to existing players only. Operators should not offer customized promotions to casino registrants who have increased their deposit limits within the following 30 days. However, they can treat such players to general bonuses.

Gambling is a popular form of entertainment in Spain. Offline gambling was legalized in 1977, and since then, the land-based gambling industry in Spain has been thriving. Today, there are over 50 licensed brick-and-mortar casinos in Spain, welcoming tourists and locals. Land-based casinos are under the regulatory scope of the 17 autonomous regions. Each region has its own licensing regime. Public tenders must be conducted before a region awards a license to a land-based casino.

Unfortunately, the country failed to regulate the online gambling industry for a long. The first piece of legislation concerning online gambling was introduced in 2006, allowing online sports betting only. Initially, the provision of online sports betting was subject to a monopoly held by the state-owned lottery companies Loterías y Apuestas del Estado and La ONCE. But the European Union scolded the country for violating EU rules for free trading within the EEA.

In 2011, Spanish lawmakers introduced a new piece of legislation called the Spanish Gambling Act or Law 13/2011, regulating all forms of internet gambling. Under the new regulations, iGaming operators must obtain a license from the country’s regulator in order to accept casino fans from Spain.

The General Directorate for the Regulation of Gambling Activities (DGOJ) is the regulatory authority responsible for awarding licenses. Casino operators interested in entering the Spanish market must obtain a General and Singular license, depending on the type of games they wish to offer. The General license is valid for 10 years, while the Singular one expires 3 to 5 years after being granted.

Applicants must comply with plenty of requirements. For example, the company must be registered in an EEA country. Besides, operators must redirect Spanish players to .es gambling websites and implement an internal monitoring system to keep track of financial transactions.

The DGOJ invested a lot of effort into combating illegal gambling operations. Unlicensed casino operators are not allowed to advertise their products and target players from Spain. Those who violate the law may face a hefty fine of up to €50,000,000.