Spain

The DGOJ regulates, licenses, supervises and sanctions all state-wide (online) gambling in Spain under Ley 13/2011; only operators on its public register may serve Spanish residents, and unlicensed sites face ISP blocking and fines. Online sports betting and horse-race betting are both fully regulated, the latter via dedicated pari-mutuel ("hípicas-mutuas") and fixed-odds ("hípicas-contrapartida") singular licences.

Advertising is governed by Royal Decree 958/2020, parts of which the Supreme Court partially annulled in 2024 (striking down bans on welcome bonuses, celebrity endorsements and broad digital ads); the government is legislating to reinstate most restrictions. For 2026 the DGOJ is mandating a uniform risk-behaviour analytics algorithm and standardized deposit-limit tools.

In a notable 26 May 2026 action, the DGOJ blocked Polymarket and Kalshi as unauthorized gambling and opened sanctioning proceedings, signalling that event-contract prediction markets fall under gambling law and are prohibited absent a licence.

Spain has one of the most developed online betting markets in Europe, thanks to a comprehensive legal framework regulating nearly all forms of sports and horse racing betting. Legal Spain sports betting options span traditional fixed-odds and exchange wagering and, under a DGOJ licence for "other" counterpart or cross bets, wagers on events relating to society, the media, the economy and culture. Any form of gambling that is not regulated is treated as prohibited, which is why the DGOJ blocked the prediction markets Polymarket and Kalshi as unauthorized gambling.

Legal Spain betting sites operate under a strict regulatory framework that supports consumer protection, fair wagering, the integrity of sports, and responsible gambling. Further, bettors can easily verify which Spain sports betting sites hold government-issued licenses.

Read on for an introduction to the Spain online betting industry. This page discusses Spanish betting laws, responsible gambling resources, and everything else bettors need to know before they bet online.

Spain Betting Sites

Spain online betting laws require operators to apply for licenses from the Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ). Licensed betting sites may be headquartered in Spain or other EEA countries but must always operate on .es domains.

The DGOJ maintains a complete list of licensed Spain online sportsbooks here, and licensed operators include:

• Bet365.es

• Betsson.es

• 888sport.es

• Betway.es

• Bwin.es

• Paf.es

• Williamhill.es

Several of these brands have operated in other nations since the early 2000s.

bet365 Spain

• Read more: Bet365 Spain

When it comes to licensed operators, Bet365 ranks in the top tier of Spanish betting sites. Bet365 offers an extensive wagering menu, attractive betting bonuses, and superior pricing compared to other licensed operators.

Equally important is Bet365’s reputation. Since its founding in 2000, Bet365 has remained privately owned and maintained an overwhelmingly positive reputation for treating customers well.

Additionally, Bet365 Spain offers sports and fixed-odds horse racing betting through one platform. With one account, customers can use Bet365 to switch seamlessly between sports betting and horse racing wagering.

• Is Bet365 licensed in Spain: Yes

• Does Bet365 support EUR deposits: Yes

• Does Bet365 support the Spanish language: Yes

bet365 Spain Deposit Methods

Bet365 supports a healthy range of deposit methods that allow bettors to deposit as little as 5,00€ and as much as 150.000€.

• Debit card: 5,00€ to 40.000,00€

• Credit card: 5,00€ to €40.000,00€

• Paysafecard: 5,00€ to 1.000,00€

• PayPal: 30,00€ to €8.000,00€

• Apple Pay: 5,00€ to 5.000,00€

• Wire Transfer: 100,00€ to 150.000,00€

Spain Online Sports Betting Laws

Spain regulates online sports betting in all its forms. Operators must apply for licenses from the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego or DGOJ) to offer online sports betting, horse racing wagering, exchange betting, and wagers on non-sporting events.

The DGOJ is also responsible for regulating Spain betting sites, issuing licenses, ensuring ongoing compliance with all applicable rules, and prosecuting illegal gambling. Generally, Spain regulates online sports betting at the federal level and land-based betting shops at the regional level.

Ley 13/2011 and additional regulations authorize and govern the following types of online betting in Spain. Follow the links below to see the rules that apply to each form of online wagering.

• Fixed-odds sports betting: Standard sports betting in which the operator sets the odds and customers bet against the operator. Includes pregame and in-play betting.

• Pari-mutuel sports betting: The operator pools all customers’ wagers, keeps a commission, and uses the remainder to pay the winners. In this form of betting, the market sets the odds, and bettors compete against one another.

• Other types of straight betting: Wagers on events other than sports and horse racing, also known as “other counterpart bets.” Types of wagers in this category include betting on societal issues such as media and entertainment, politics, the economy, and culture.

• Pari-mutuel horse racing betting: Pooled wagers placed on horse racing events. This is the most common form of horse racing betting worldwide.

• Fixed-odds horse racing betting: Same format as fixed-odds sports betting but applied to horse races; the house sets the odds, and customers bet against the house. Offers the advantage of “fixed” odds that don’t change after customers have placed their wagers.

• Betting exchanges: Customers bet among one another by setting their own prices or accepting other users’ prices. Online betting exchanges function like stock exchanges, with the market determining prices and users competing against each other.

Spain online sports betting laws are heavy-handed in many aspects, but the plus side is they provide significant protections for customers. For example, the DGOJ requires operators to protect customers’ rights to the following:

• Precise and accurate rules of participation

• Timely payouts

• Information about how much they have wagered and their account balances

• The protection of their private information

• Information about responsible gambling

However, the DGOJ also outlines three obligations of every bettor:

• To identify themselves to online betting operators

• To comply with all the rules that apply to bettors

• To “respect the normal progress of the betting process”

How Spain Legalized Online Sports Betting

Spain had no national framework for online sports betting until Ley 13/2011. The preamble to that Act records that new operators had appeared in the gambling market for which the rules then in force offered no adequate regulatory response, so the sector needed new regulatory mechanisms giving legal certainty to operators and participants.

The Spanish government granted the state lottery a monopoly over online sports betting, and the sector saw little growth. However, retail betting experienced tremendous growth as major European bookmakers opened land-based sportsbooks across Spain.

With no adequate national rules for the new online market, the Spanish government began drafting a law to regulate online sports betting more effectively. The effort culminated in Ley 13/2011, the Spanish Gambling Act, which privatized the Spain online sports betting market and opened the door to international competition.

Spain has expanded and fine-tuned its online betting laws since then, but Ley 13/2011 remains the basis for all online gambling in Spain.

Spain Horse Racing Betting

Although it’s not a top horse racing destination, Spain has a vibrant and storied horse racing tradition. Fans can visit several race tracks to bet on horse races in Spain or use licensed betting sites to place pari-mutuel and fixed-odds wagers on upcoming races online.

Only two operators hold licenses to offer pari-mutuel horse racing betting in Spain, while numerous others offer fixed-odds wagering. The only operators with official pari-mutuel wagering licences are Zebetting y Gaming España (zeturf.es) and the state lottery operator Loterías y Apuestas del Estado.

In contrast, numerous operators are licensed to offer fixed-odds horse racing betting. Bet365 is one of them.

Major horse race tracks in Spain:

• Hipódromo de la Zarzuela in Madrid

• Gran Hipódromo de Andalucía in Seville

• Carreras de Caballos de Sanlúcar (races on the beach in Sanlúcar with legal wagering, free beachside viewing, and ticketed tent seating)

Responsible Gambling in Spain

Responsible gambling is a recurring theme in Spain’s sports betting laws and regulations. All Spain online betting sites must establish a responsible gambling plan to educate, prevent, and respond to problem gambling.

The DGOJ also publishes its own Juego seguro pages, covering safe gambling measures, deposit limits and risk behaviours, and the route into the self-exclusion register. Anyone with questions or concerns about their own or a loved one’s betting habits can start there.

Additionally, bettors can self-exclude from all forms of online betting and gambling through the DGOJ’s RGIAJ system. Bettors can sign up in person or online to self-restrict for at least six months.

Spain Online Gambling

Real-money casino games are also legal in Spain. Gaming laws were relaxed over a period of years, and licensed operators may now host the most popular types of casino games under game-specific licences. Online slots, card games, and specialty games such as craps and roulette are all legal.

Spain casino sites require unique licenses for each type of game they offer, although the most prominent operators own licenses for all forms of gambling. An operator may therefore hold licences for sports betting, casino games and poker together.

Spain Poker Sites

Online poker in Spain enjoys legal status, with most of the recognizable big names in poker licensed to operate. The law is lenient in which games may be offered for real money. Tournaments, cash games, and SNGs are all available at a wide range of stakes.

The 2011 legislation included a ring-fencing policy. If you played online from Spain, you were only seated with other players from Spain.

The issue of poker liquidity was finally addressed in 2017 after Spain signed an online poker liquidity agreement with three other European nations — France, Italy and Portugal. That deal allows licensed poker sites to combine player pools among all four countries to increase player liquidity, resulting in more active cash games and larger tournaments.

Spain Online Betting Deposits and Withdrawals

The legalization of online gambling has made it significantly easier to fund our betting accounts in Spain. All the same payment methods one would use to buy anything else online may also be used to place wagers over the internet. Credit cards, debit cards, and e-wallets such as Skrill and Neteller are all available. Some sports betting sites in Spain also accept TeleIngresso deposits for real-world transactions at thousands of ATMs, post offices, and retail outlets nationwide.

Withdrawals usually go back to the same method used to deposit. Most online betting sites in Spain take 24-48 to process withdrawals, while instant withdrawals are becoming increasingly common.