Future of Online Casinos in Spain
Since 1977, the biggest change within the gambling market in Spain has been the Spanish Gaming Act of 2011. This was primarily to adapt the systems and regulations in place to fit the new technological advances in the industry with the aim to better monitor operators and keep players safe. Since then there have also been several further actions that have advanced and improved the gambling scene for Spanish players and also increase the revenue for the country.
Due to the expansion of the online casinos in Spain to a billion dollar industry, within the last few years the regulation of gambling in Spain has become stricter. While this has meant that some online casinos are unable to operate in the country without an official license from the Spanish Gambling Authority, it is a positive step in the right direction. It means that online casinos in Spain will provide a safe and secure gambling environment for players which is backed up by the General for the Regulation of Gambling. We expect that these changes will be beneficial and the demand for quality online casinos in Spain will only continue to grow.
Are Online Casinos in Spain Legal?
As mentioned previously, online gambling became legal in Spain after the Gambling Act of 2011 was passed. This opened the floodgates of Spanish online casinos which has only expanded further every year since. Before this important law was passed, players in Spain were limited to playing at offshore casinos, which were not approved or regulated by the Spanish government. While not all offshore casinos are unfavourable, it did leave players unprotected nationally.
As a result of this change, operators which have not yet obtained an official license from the Spanish government are unable to offer their services to Spanish players. Similarly, it is illegal for locals to gamble at unapproved offshore gambling sites. However, this no longer poses a problem as there is an abundance of quality regulated online casinos in Spain to choose from.
Deposits & Withdrawal Limits at Spanish Online Casinos
When it comes to making deposits and withdrawals at the best online casinos in Spain, you’ll find you have plenty of payment methods available to you. We will discuss those in further detail later in the guide, however, here we will go over the limits that you may encounter for deposits and withdrawals.
Quite simply, limits for deposits and withdrawals are set by each individual casino and there isn’t a standard amount across the board. While the payment method you use will also affect the amount you are able to deposit or withdraw within one transaction, we suggest that you take a look at the banking section of the online casino you would like to select to see the specific amounts you can top up and take out from your casino account.
The best online casinos will have a more flexible limit for players, usually only capped by the payment method that you select. However, any casino promotion that you choose to activate will also impact the amount that you are able to deposit. Players should also be aware that casinos usually have daily, weekly and monthly limits for withdrawals, which can be checked in the terms and conditions of the casino.
Taxation on Spanish Online Casino Winnings
Although the gambling laws across the country are governed federally, this isn’t the case for the taxation system on gambling. Instead, the system is different depending on the region where the player is located. For winnings earned by players, these must be submitted as income when it comes to declaring taxes to the government.
With regards to the casinos themselves, there are some distinctions between the tax rates applied at land-based casinos compared to online casinos, with the latter usually paying around 25% on revenue. Although, each region applies its own specific rates to the individual game types available at online casinos. These are paid by the operators directly to the government though, not by players.
Spanish Casino Bonuses
There are a plethora of bonuses you can find to pump up your potential while playing casino games in Spain. The most popular bonuses are usually those that come as a package, either for first-timers to a new casino or for existing customers as a reload bonus. These bonus packages generally include a match percentage bonus which amplifies your casino funds, and a nice stash of free spins to roll on selected slots. To get a better idea of what promotions are on offer at casinos in Spain, we will take a closer look at the different kinds available.
- Welcome Bonus: Only brand-new players to a casino are eligible to get their hands on welcome bonuses, which is why they are some of the most popular and sought-after bonuses in the country. Most casinos in Spain offer a registration bonus for their players, although what exactly is included in that bonus will vary from casino to casino. The general package will include a match bonus, usually of 100%, although some casinos may offer a higher percentage match, and many will also include some free spins for players to use on a selection of slot casino games on the site. Even though this is the typical set up for a welcome bonus, some casinos may offer alternatives such as simply free spins or even a no-deposit bonus which you can read more about below.
- Reload Bonus: These bonuses are for returning players; as the name suggests, those who continue playing at the casino and reload more funds onto their casino account may be eligible for further promotions. Similar to the welcome bonus, this is usually in the form of a match bonus and/or some free spins. However, the percentage is usually lower than that awarded for the welcome bonus, as that is a one-off offer created to attract new players.
- Cashback Bonus: A cashback bonus almost works in the opposite way to the reload bonus, as instead of being awarded a percentage of your deposit before you begin gambling, you will gain back a percentage of your losses after you have played at the casino. While it still gives players the opportunity to take advantage of a cushion to their casino funds and continue playing if their own deposit has been exhausted, the percentage you receive back is generally much lower than a match bonus; somewhere around 10-20% is the norm.
- No-Deposit Bonus: As you may have guessed from the name of these bonuses, they don’t require players to make deposits at the casino before activation, unlike the reload and cashback bonuses. Due to the nature of no-deposit bonuses, they are extremely sought after and are not available in all online casinos in Spain. However, those that do have them will usually offer them to new players who are able to give the casino games a whirl before making a deposit.Of course, you may not need to make a deposit to be eligible for this kind of bonus, but most casinos will at least require that you create a free casino account with them before you can begin playing. The only downside to no-deposit bonuses, if you want to view it this way, is that they are usually very low value and still have wagering requirements and conditions attached to limit how easy it is for players to cash out.
- Free Spins: The ultimate bonus for slot enthusiasts, luckily, free spins are usually abundant across the best online casinos. They may be given as part of a bonus package or as a stand-alone bonus. Some casinos even give daily, weekly or monthly free spins to their loyal customers, which can be used on new slots in the catalogue or a selection of particular slots. Although free spins don’t have a particular value attached to them as reload bonuses do, they still come with their own playthrough requirements, which players must meet before they are able to withdraw any winnings. Players will also find that free spins usually have a shorter validity period, so it’s best to play through them as soon as you are awarded them.
Bonus Wagering Requirements & Conditions
All bonuses that you’ll find at Spanish online casinos will have some form of conditions and wagering requirements attached. The reason for this is so that casinos can retain some control over the possibility of players winning vast amounts of money. While players might view this as a negative thing, it also means that casinos can continue to offer attractive bonuses and avoid scams that could affect both the casino and the player.
We always suggest that you check the conditions of a bonus before activating it so that you have an idea of whether it’s feasible for you to complete the playthrough conditions. The main aspects you should look into are the payment methods which you can use for both deposits and withdrawals, the validity period you have to complete the conditions and also whether the wagering requirement includes just the bonus funds or also your deposit.
The wagering requirement is easily found and can be identified as the number of times you need to play through the amount, i.e. 35x or 40x. You can also identify if this is applicable only to the funds you are rewarded from the casino or also to your own funds. This is important as it can double the amount that you would have to gamble through the casino games before you are able to withdraw any winnings.
Best Payment Methods at Online Casinos in Spain
When choosing a good casino site in Spain, one of the considerations should be the payment methods available to you. We suggest opting for a site that has a wide and varied selection of payment solutions, that way; you always have the option to change your banking method during your casino journey.
A good indicator of a quality casino is whether it has payment solutions provided by major international banking institutions, as this shows that deposits and withdrawals will be completed with optimum security and encryption.
Aside from the different entities that facilitate transactions, there are some differences that may affect which payment method you select, such as the speed of transaction, fees and versatility of the method. Here are some of the most popular payment methods that you will readily find in the best online casinos in Spain.
- Paypal
- Neteller
- Skrill
- Bank Transfer
- Debit Cards
- Bitcoin
- Paysafecard
- Trustly
- Google Pay
Brian Smithson 
Licence
Withdrawal Time
Bonus
Playing on a screen takes away some of the excitement