Online Sports Betting in Spain – Where to Play & What’s Legal?

Whether you live in Spain or are just holidaying there it’s a good idea to verify what is legal before you try something. This is especially true if the penalties are likely to be harsh.

Online sports betting is becoming a popular option despite the concern that sports stars will actually rig a game in order to win big. This is one of the biggest reasons why there are regulations regarding sports betting and who can do it/offer it according to the list of best bookmakers online here.

Let’s check out the facts regarding online sports betting in Spain:

The Latest Regulations

In 2011 Spain introduced the Spanish Gambling Act, the intent was to introduce regulations, allowing the government to monitor, regulate, and manage the gambling market-based in Spain.

This legislation was long overdue, the Spanish government was known to have a very relaxed stance on gambling, it has been legal for over 30 years. The relaxed stance allowed many illegal betting shops to trade for years, making huge profits in the process.

In addition, prior to the legislation, Spanish citizens were free to use any online betting site they wanted as there were no regulations prevent these services from trading in Spain.

The new act changed this and forced companies to either stop trading in Spain or register properly.

In fact, this is one of the biggest changes, for any company to operate online gambling in Spain they need to obtain a license.

It’s worth noting that Spain is not alone in their bid to control online gambling, even the US is starting to relax its rules.  However this won’t change the fact that while most casinos allow 18-year-olds to gamble not all states allow gambling at this young age.

ID Parameters

One of the biggest changes is that every person wanting to use an online betting site in Spain will need to register first. To register you’ll need to provide your DNI and upload a scanned image of your identity.

This is to ensure all sites operate fairly. However, it also means that all large wins will be reported directly to the state, you’ll need to declare them on your tax return or face a penalty.

The easiest way to check whether a Spanish online gambling site is registered is to see if the domain name ends with ‘.es’.

If you use a site that is Spanish based without this ending you’ll be risking your money and potential prosecution.

Sports Betting

Most forms of online and offline betting activities are covered by the new Spanish act. Sports betting is one of the activities that is allowed, along with pool betting, horse racing, and even fixed odds. However, it doesn’t cover bingo games or in-play betting.

You’ll also note that many online sites only offer one type of gambling product. This is because the new regulations require them to have a license for every individual gambling product.

All of this is for your protection, it’s a good idea to pay attention to the sites you’re using.