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Slots
Roulette
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Videopoker
Blackjack
Live Roulette
Slots
Roulette
Cards
Videopoker
Blackjack
Live Roulette
Slots
Roulette
Cards
Videopoker
Blackjack
Live Roulette
The online gambling industry in Spain has been showing a steady and rapid growth. According to the DGOJ annual report, the state-licensed online market generated a gross gaming revenue (GGR) of 1,700.55 million EUR in 2025, 16.99% more than in 2024. The overall amount deposited by the players was 4,322 million EUR, and 2,157,514 players were active during the year. Casino games and betting is what is growing the most. Among the DGOJ-licensed brands with the highest website traffic are bet365, Betfair, Codere, bwin, Winamax, Casino Barcelona, Luckia, Casino Gran Madrid Online, Jokerbet and Golden Park.
In 2025 casino games generated 893.00 million EUR (52.51% of the online GGR) and betting 698.13 million EUR (41.05%). Contests, bingo and poker do not attract great demand in Spain: poker brought 95.48 million EUR (5.61%) and bingo 13.94 million EUR (0.82%), and both segments declined compared with 2024. Online slot machines have become the largest single product: they generated 617.32 million EUR in 2025, more than two thirds of the casino segment. Online gambling is limited. What it means is that residents can only play in their own regions. But online operators can provide their services within their regions as well as all across the country. For this purpose they obtain the license at the state level. Online operators also obtain individual licenses for each type of games. The list of licensed online games is the same as the one for land-based establishments: betting, raffles, contests, casino games, and so on. Tax brackets for online gambling are assigned at the state level by the Gambling Activities Tax (Article 48 of Law 13/2011, rates in force since 1 July 2018). The amount of payment will depend on the type of game:
- State sports betting pools - 22% of the overall revenue (turnover is the total amount deposited by all players to participate in the game)
- Fixed sports bets - 20% of the GGR
- Horse racing bets (pool and fixed-odds) - 20% of the GGR
- Other pool, fixed-odds and exchange bets - 20% of the GGR
- Raffles - 20% of the GGR. For raffles declared of public utility or charitable the rate is 5%
- Contests - 20% of the GGR
- Other games (poker, casino games, bingo, slots etc.) - 20% of the GGR
- Promotional prize draws - 10% of the value of the prizes
Gambling Games in Spain
Despite a relatively small market share, slot machines remain the backbone of gaming halls and bars, although their number in Spain has been gradually decreasing, mainly in bars and restaurants. 189,941 type “B” slot machines were registered in the country in 2024, of which 175,136 were in operation. Online, the titles most played by Spanish players include the Spanish-themed slots and video bingos of MGA Games (Las Riquezas de El Dorado, La Fortuna del Lejano Oeste, Chiquito, La Bruja Fortuna), video bingo games such as Bingo Samba Rio by Caleta Gaming, the Book of Ra series by Greentube, The Asp of Cleopatra by Red Rake Gaming and Pragmatic Play hits like Gates of Olympus and Sweet Bonanza. Classics such as Cleopatra, Jackpot 6000, Mega Joker, Gonzo’s Quest and Dead or Alive are still widely available. Cleopatra is a five-reel slot by IGT, which has been enjoying ongoing growth in both Spain and Hispanic countries. Jackpot 6000 is a three-reel slot by NetEnt. The slot comes with 5 paylines and provides an opportunity to hit the jackpot for landing the Joker symbols. Mega Joker is an online slot by Greentube. The slot comes with 5 reels and 40 paylines.
The highest payout is 400,000 credits for 5 Jokers. Gonzo’s Quest is a slot by NetEnt. The slot has 5 reels and 20 paylines. The slot also features cascading reels: winning symbols disappear and are replaced by new ones, like in a three-in-a-row game. A line of consecutive winnings will quintuple your rewards. Free spins will earn you the multiplier of x15. Dead or Alive is a five-reel slot by NetEnt. The slot features 5 paylines, two Wild symbols, a Scatter and a round of free spins. The highest multiplier is 2,500 for landing five Scatters.
Gambling Legislation
Gambling industry with legalised back in 1977. The Spanish Gaming Act (Law 13/2011) was the main law that was passed in May 2011 and came into force on May 29, 2011. This is the law that regulates both land-based and online industry at the state level. Local authorities are responsible for gambling within their regions. The main milestones since then:
- June 2012 – the first state online gambling licences were granted and the regulated online market was opened.
- 1 July 2018 – Law 6/2018 cut the tax rate on most online games and bets from 25% to 20% of the GGR.
- 3 November 2020 – Royal Decree 958/2020 introduced strict rules on gambling advertising (some of its provisions, including the ban on welcome bonuses and on celebrities in adverts, were later annulled by the courts).
- 14 March 2023 – Royal Decree 176/2023 on safer gambling environments introduced obligations to detect risky gambling behaviour and to protect young players.
- 2026 – the Ministry of Consumer Affairs opened a public consultation on a reform of Law 13/2011 (advertising, payment methods, a register of B2B suppliers and joint deposit limits); the reform has not yet been adopted.
Regulators
The main regulator is General Directorate for Gambling Regulation. This organisation is a subordinate of the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and 2030 Agenda (through the General Secretariat for Consumer Affairs and Gambling); originally it belonged to the Ministry of Finance. Its official website is ordenacionjuego.es, where the list of licensed operators is published. Its functions are as follows:
- Proposal of bills on regulation of the gambling market
- Defining both functional and technical requirements towards the games
- Issuing licenses to the businesses that operate in more than one region
- Monitoring and inspecting the gaming industry, as well as imposing penalties for failure to comply with the law
- Preparation of reports, statements and research of the gambling market
Local authorities issue their licenses to businesses that operate within their regions. They are also the ones that monitor the operations and oversee the compliance with local laws. Spain has a total of 17 regions.
Gambling Licenses
Licenses are issued for betting, casino games and other forms of gambling. Licenses are not issued for lotteries, because they are the monopoly of two organisations: Sociedad Estatal de Loterías y Apuestas del Estado (S.M.E.) Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles (ONCE) Licenses are subdivided into two different types: common ones and special ones. An operator must obtain both. The common license authorises betting, contests and other gambling activities. Licenses are valid for 10 years and can be extended for another 10 years. Special licenses apply to a specific game organised by the operator. They are issued only when the common license has been obtained. These licenses remain valid from 1 to 5 years. There are also licenses that cover the organisation of games at the federal level (all across the country) and the regional level (only in one province). The number of licenses issued is not limited by law. The issuing procedure involves checking how reliable the operator is and whether everything is in compliance with proper requirements.
Requirements towards licensees
The company must be based in the economic zone of the European Union and only be engaged in the gambling business. The company must be registered with the Spanish Commercial Register. Foreign companies are registered on a similar register in their home country. They also have to have a permanent representative in Spain. Registration with the General Registry of Gambling Licences is also mandatory. The operator must submit all financial and economic documents necessary, as well as all data on technical support and personnel.
License
Every licensee must also lodge a financial guarantee, the amount of which depends on the type of the licence and the operator's turnover. These are the payments that the operator must make when obtaining the license: 10,000 EUR for each common and special license, 2,500 EUR for each license that has to be entered into the Gaming Registry and 38,000 EUR for certification of all licenses. At the same time the operators pay the fee for the administrative management of gambling (tasa por la gestión administrativa del juego) each year. The fee amounts to 0.075% (0.75 per thousand) of the gross operating revenue. Gambling games that are defined by law and require licensing are subdivided into two categories: at the federal level and at the regional level. The lists of games of these two levels are a little bit different. These are the games regulated by the federal legislation: Sports betting pools, Horse racing pools, Fixed sports bets and bets on horse races, Contests, Poker, Bingo, Roulette games, Blackjack, Baccarat, Slot machines and extra games (that combine games of luck that require skills and knowledge. Their main purpose is entertainment.). Lotteries are only conducted by the two organisations listed above. The country's seventeen regions compile their own catalogues of games and gambling products that operators are allowed to provide. Each region sets its own licensing procedure. This is what the average list of licensed games looks like: French roulette, American roulette, Blackjack, Boules, Thirty and forty, Craps, Baccarat, Poker, Slots, Bingo, Raffles, Tombola, Charity raffles, Betting, Sport bets, Horse Racing and The Wheel of Fortune. All games are covered by their special licenses and individual regulations in compliance with the Spanish Gaming Act.
Taxes on gambling business in Spain
The amount of taxes will depend on the region where the company operates. Tax brackets for land-based establishments are approved by the regional authorities. Typically the regional taxes take these forms:
- a percentage of the GGR (Gross Gambling Revenue) for casino table games, usually on a progressive scale
- a fixed annual or quarterly fee per slot machine (type “B” and “C” machines)
- a percentage of the amounts played or of the GGR for bingo and electronic bingo
- a percentage of the GGR for betting and for online games provided only within the region
According to the Spanish Gambling Yearbook 2025, in 2024 the casinos generated a real gambling revenue of 410.8 million EUR, and the special gambling taxes on their tables and “C” machines amounted to 72.9 million EUR, or 17.8% of that revenue. The casinos received more than 4.5 million visits in 2024.
Taxation of games depends on the taxation base. Gross revenue is considered as the base. This is how it is calculated: the amount deposited by all participants of the game, minus the winnings that were paid out and the rewards. For casino games the rate grows in accordance with the size of the base, so the largest casinos pay the highest share of their gross revenue.
Developers of gaming software products
Spain is known for these developers in the gambling industry: CODERE Group, MGA and Optima. CODERE Group is a company that was founded back in 1980. The company develops gaming machines including slots and runs several casinos, bingo halls, sports betting points of sale and online platforms in seven countries: Spain, Italy, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Panama and Uruguay. The company has its offices in Spain, Mexico and Uruguay. MGA is one of the first Spanish companies that started developing slots on the domestic market. The company was founded back in 1976; its online division MGA Games, based in Barcelona, was set up in 2001. MGA develops the solutions and games for online casinos, including Spanish-themed video slots and video bingo, runs bingo halls and manufactures the equipment for gaming clubs and casinos. Optima is a company that deals with solutions for sports betting and online casinos. The company's portfolio contains programs for running casinos and sportsbook businesses, analysing the data and integrating software products. The news about the gambling industry in Spain indicate that this area has been undergoing rapid development and steady growth. The online market has been expanding especially fast. The industry is well-regulated and provides the country with a constant inflow of resources.
