Online Betting in Spain

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, bets on political and economic events, and much more.

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.

Best 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, but our top recommendations follow:

• Bet365.es
• Betsson.es
• 888sport.es
• Betway.es
• Bwin.es
• Paf.es
• Williamhill.es

These betting sites have earned their places atop the Spain online betting market over the course of decades, having operated in other nations since the early 2000s in some cases. Each holds licenses in multiple jurisdictions and remains in good standing with regulators worldwide.

22Bet Spain

• Read more: 22Bet Spain

Although it isn’t licensed in Spain, 22Bet is an attractive option for frequent and high-volume bettors because it doesn’t face the onerous tax burdens that licensed operators must deal with in Spain. As a result, 22Bet can offer better prices and promos than other Spain betting sites.

Additionally, 22Bet Spain offers a broader range of betting markets than the competition. 22Bet provides a comprehensive wagering catalog spanning everything from football to horse racing betting and esports. Bettors will never suffer a lack of options with 22Bet.

The downside to using 22Bet is that it does not offer a native iOS app because it isn’t licensed in Spain. However, bettors can visit the 22Bet website from any mobile device to create accounts, bet online, make deposits, and cash out their winnings.

• Is 22Bet licensed in Spain: No
• Does 22Bet support EUR deposits: Yes
• Does 22Bet support the Spanish language: Yes
• 22Bet Spain deposit methods: Credit cards, debit cards, various e-wallets, instant bank transfers, and two dozen cryptocurrencies

Bet365 Spain

• Read more: Bet365 Spain

When it comes to licensed operators, Bet365 ranks in the top tier of Spanish betting sites. In fact, Bet365 is our top recommendation for bettors in Spain because it 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€
• Click2Pay: 5,00€ to 5.500,00€
• 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 legalized online sports betting and retail betting shops in 2006. The law established federal control over online sports betting while allowing Spain’s autonomous regions to regulate land-based bookmakers.

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

Almost immediately after approving the 2006 law, the Spanish government began drafting a new 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 betting sites with official pari-mutuel wagering licenses are zeturf.es and loteriasyapuestas.es.

In contrast, numerous operators are licensed to offer fixed-odds horse racing betting. Bet365 is the best Spain horse racing betting site in this category thanks to its extensive track coverage, multi-decade reputation for fast payouts, and best price guarantees on select races.

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 operates JugarBien.es, a website that provides responsible gambling information and help resources. Anyone with questions or concerns about their own or a loved one’s betting habits can visit Jugar Bien for assistance. Bettors can visit this page to find professional problem gambling help near them.

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 are now free to host all the most popular types of casino games that you would find anywhere else in the world. 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. Thus, all the big Spanish sports betting sites recommended above provide sports betting, casino games, and poker in one location.

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.

Online poker suffered in Spain during the first few years due to two major policy decisions. One is the ring-fencing policy included in the 2011 legislation. Under this policy, Spanish poker players remained segregated from the rest of the world. If you played online from Spain, you were only seated with other players from Spain. This virtual isolation hurt liquidity and made it difficult for the poker market to grow.

High taxes on operators also make it difficult for Spanish poker sites to invest money in growth and player-targeted promotions. At one point, some in the Spanish poker community attempted to send a message to the industry by staging a one-day protest in which players refused to play online poker for a day. Operators received the message loud and clear, but the Spanish government seems reluctant to change its stance on either issue.

The issue of poker liquidity was finally addressed in 2017 after Spain signed an online poker liquidity agreement with three other European nations (France, Spain, 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. Rarely do we have to wait more than a couple of business days to have our money in hand. Most online betting sites in Spain take 24-48 to process withdrawals, while instant withdrawals are becoming increasingly common.

Spain Sports Betting FAQ