Legislation

Online gaming boom in Spain and the recent regulatory measures

Friday 28 de February 2020 / 12:49

⏱ 2 min read

(Spain, SoloAzar Exclusive).- Online gaming in Spain is not only legal, but also a "local tradition": Spanish players love to bet. According to statistics, each Spanish citizen spends an average of 480 euros each year on online gambling. In that sense, how do the measures recently announced by the government to regulate gambling and betting impact?

Online gaming boom in Spain and the recent regulatory measures

The game is completely legal in Spain and there are many options that are available to Spanish players. This is the thirteenth country in the world in terms of purchasing power parity, and the game occupies an important place in its economy.


Spanish Games of Chance Law


According to the Spanish Law of Gambling, the legal age of online gaming Spain is 18 years and there are no restrictions in this regard - you can play online casinos at casino777 roulette, sports betting sites, and participate in all kinds of gaming activities. There are no limitations of any kind. Bitcoin or credit card, bank transfers or even electronic checks can be used: no payment method will be monitored or blocked.


On the other hand, social gaming applications are very popular. These are games of chance that can be played with friends and on social media platforms. Most of them are for casual games, but all offer in-game purchases.


A little history


Spain was the first country in Europe to completely legalize gambling (more than 30 years ago), but this was ineffective due to the nature of the country. Spain is formed by 13 autonomous regions and each of them had its own laws and legislation in this regard. So a decision made by the national government did not affect the region of Catalonia, for example.


In 2011, a National Game of Chance Act came into effect that declared all forms of play legal in all regions. To launch a local casino website with no exit in Spain, you need to acquire a license from the authorized agency of NetBet online casino and obtain a web address that ends with “.es”.


New measures


Last Friday, the Minister of Consumption of the Government of Spain, Alberto Garzón, reported on the first measures to regulate gambling and sports betting. This is "an urgent first step to address the public health problems that gambling and gambling can cause," said the official in his official Twitter account.


The new measures as part of the royal decree regulating the advertising of gambling, whose draft was presented this Friday, aims to seek the protection of minors, of young people aged between 18 to 35 years, of people with problems of addiction and to all consumers who, for leisure reasons, practice this activity. In accordance with the provisions of the project, advertising of bets and casino games can only be carried out at the time of 1 to 5 hours.


The more than one hundred measures available on online game advertising mean banning 80 percent of current ads and a very severe restriction for the rest, Garzón said. He also recognized that although it may seem like a drastic measure, "it seems necessary and justified."


At a press conference, he added that this is a first step of the Ministry with an urgent nature and that it is within a comprehensive plan that will address this issue in a broader manner throughout the current legislature.

Categoría:Legislation

Tags: Sin tags

País: Spain

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