Spain Gambling License Gaming License
M&A entry only — tender closed since 2018. 20% GGR tax + 2% Responsible Gaming Fund. €2,000,000 financial guarantee per General Licence. 6–18 months. €1,700.55M GGR market in 2025.
Key advantages of Spain Gambling License Gaming License
€1.7 Billion GGR Market
Spain's regulated online market produced €1,700.55M in GGR in 2025, up ~17% on 2024. Casino games are the largest vertical at around half of GGR.
Tier-1 EU Regulated Status
Full EU regulatory credential — the same tier as Malta, UK, and Italy. Strong banking and PSP access.
20% GGR Tax vs 40% UK RGD
Spain's 20% rate is materially lower than the UK's 40% Remote Gaming Duty (from 1 April 2026).
M&A Route Is Established and Lawful
Acquiring the shares of a licensed Spanish operator is the established, lawful entry method. The DGOJ approves it routinely.
All Verticals Under One Licence
Casino, sports betting, poker, bingo — all available under one General Licence plus Singular Licences. No separate filings for each vertical.
Required documents of Spain Gambling License Gaming License
- Regulatory DD: open enforcement procedures, Singular Licence status, guarantee funding
- Share purchase agreement (conditional on DGOJ clearance)
- DGOJ ownership-change notification documentation
- UBO structure and fit-and-proper documentation for new owners
- Post-acquisition compliance alignment: policies, staff, SEPBLAC review
- Evidence of financial guarantee: €2,000,000 per General Licence
MGL runs regulatory DD on the acquisition target (open enforcement, guarantee status, Singular Licence validity) before you commit capital. Post-acquisition: compliance alignment, DGOJ ownership-change notification, policy updates, and ongoing regulatory support.
You cannot get a Spanish online gambling licence by application today. Under Article 10(1) of Law 13/2011, General Licences are issued only through public tenders called by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs. The last tender was called on 17 December 2017 and closed in December 2018. None has been announced since — a gap of over eight years.
The only live route into the Spanish market is M&A: acquiring a company that already holds a valid Spanish General Licence. The prize is real: Spain's regulated online market produced €1,700.55 million in GGR in full-year 2025, up roughly 17% on 2024.
Spain at a Glance
Factor | Detail |
|---|---|
Entry route | M&A acquisition of a licensed operator; tender closed since 2018 |
Time to market | 6 to 18 months |
Gaming tax | 20% of GGR, plus 2% Responsible Gaming Fund levy |
Financial guarantee | €2,000,000 per General Licence |
Market size | €1,700.55 million GGR in 2025, up ~17% |
Current status | No new tender announced; direct application unavailable today |
What Is a Spanish Gambling Licence?
A Spanish gambling licence is the authorisation to offer online betting or gaming to players in Spain. Two tiers: a General Licence covering a category of games for 10 years, plus a Singular Licence for each vertical. The DGOJ issues both, today only to companies acquiring an already-licensed operator.
What Entry Costs and How Long It Takes
M&A entry item | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|
Acquisition of a licensed Spanish operator | Valuation-dependent | Driven by GGR track record, active Singular Licences, clean compliance history |
Legal and due diligence | €50,000 to €150,000 | Specialist Spanish gambling counsel; regulatory DD, not just commercial |
DGOJ ownership-change approval | €2,500 to €10,000 | Regulatory fees for the change-of-control process |
Post-acquisition compliance alignment | €20,000 to €50,000 | Audit, policy updates, staffing |
Timeline: typically 6 to 18 months. Allow a minimum of 2 to 4 months for the DGOJ to approve the new shareholder structure. The acquisition agreement must be conditional on that clearance. Closing before approval is a compliance violation.
Why Spain Is Closed to New Applicants
The DGOJ, a body of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, holds exclusive jurisdiction over online gambling licensing. General Licences come only through tenders. Three have ever been held. The third closed in December 2018 and there has been no call since, with no announced timeline to reopen.
Direct transfer of a licence between companies is prohibited under Law 13/2011, Section 9. What is lawful is buying the shares of the company that holds the licence. The licence stays with the company; you acquire the company. Treat Spain as an M&A project from the first conversation.
The Acquisition Process, Step by Step
Identify a target among the licensed operators and assess fit: which Singular Licences it holds, its GGR, its fine history.
Run regulatory due diligence — not only commercial DD. Verify there are no open enforcement procedures, all Singular Licences are current, the €2,000,000 financial guarantee is fully funded, and no unresolved issues with SEPBLAC or the Agencia Tributaria.
Sign a Letter of Intent and negotiate the share purchase agreement, conditional on DGOJ clearance.
Notify the DGOJ of the ownership change and obtain approval before completion. Any material change in ownership requires prior DGOJ approval.
Complete the acquisition. The licence passes with the company. You inherit every obligation: guarantee deposits, renewal timelines, and the operator's full compliance history.
The Licence Structure You Acquire
Spain uses a mandatory two-tier system. Both tiers are needed before an operator can take a single wager.
General Licence (Tier 1):
Broad authorisation within a category (Betting; Other Games of Chance; Contests). Term of 10 years, renewable. Backed by a financial guarantee of €2,000,000 for betting and games (€500,000 for contests).
Vertical | Category | Term |
|---|---|---|
Sports betting, horse racing, pool, exchange betting | Betting | 5 years |
eSports betting (since 2025) | Betting | 5 years |
Online casino (slots, roulette, blackjack, baccarat) | Other Games | 3 years |
Online poker | Other Games | 3 years |
Online bingo | Other Games | 3 years |
Tax Regime
Levy | Rate | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
Gambling tax (IAJ) | 20% of GGR | Agencia Tributaria |
Ceuta / Melilla exception | 10% of GGR | If genuinely tax-resident there |
Responsible Gaming Fund contribution | 2% of GGR | Ministry of Consumer Affairs |
Annual regulatory levy | 0.075% of gross collections | DGOJ |
Corporate income tax | 25% | Standard rate |
The IAJ is filed quarterly. Online gambling is VAT-exempt. Stacked, the effective marginal tax burden on an online casino can exceed 40% of revenue depending on cost structure. Model the cash flow before committing.
Ongoing Compliance and Responsible Gambling
Joint deposit limits (new).
Royal Decree approved 23 June 2026: new default ceilings are €700/day, €1,750/week, €3,300/four-week period, joint and global per person across all operators. Around 31% of active Spanish players use more than one operator — the segment this targets.
Self-exclusion.
Operators must check every registration and deposit against the RGIAJ and block any listed player across all products immediately.
Risk detection.
From 2026, every operator must run a standardised DGOJ-approved algorithm for detecting risky play.
AML.
Governed by Law 10/2010, supervised by SEPBLAC. Customer Due Diligence triggered when prizes reach or exceed €2,500. Video identification mandatory since 2016. Records kept 10 years minimum.
Advertising in flux.
Royal Decree 958/2020's advertising restrictions were largely voided by Supreme Court ruling 527/2024. A relaunched reform had public consultation closed 22 June 2026, not yet in force. Operate conservatively on marketing until it is.
How Spain Compares
Spain | Malta (MGA) | UK (UKGC) | Italy (ADM) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Entry route | M&A only (tender closed since 2018) | Direct application (open) | Direct application (open) | Concession (new regime from Nov 2024) |
Capital at entry | €2.5M+ incl. €2M guarantee | €5,000 application + €25,000/yr fixed fee | Application fee scaled to gross gambling yield | €7,000,000 per 9-yr concession + 3% of GGR/yr |
Gaming tax (GGR) | 20% | 5% on Maltese-player revenue only | 40% remote gaming duty (from 1 Apr 2026) | 25.5% casino/poker/bingo; 24.5% betting |
Spain is the only Tier-1 regulated market you cannot enter by application. The closed tender makes acquisition the only door. MGL runs the regulatory due diligence that prices that risk before you commit.
Enforcement Is Real, Including for Licensees
The DGOJ imposed €143 million in fines in 2024 and roughly €111 million in 2025; cumulative sanctions since 2021 exceed €496 million. In November 2025: 32 operators sanctioned for a combined €33.5 million, including Betfair, 888, and Codere. Very serious violations can reach €10,000,000 per operator, plus site shutdown and a two-year operational ban.
The danger is not the paperwork — it is the company you inherit. Pending fines, open investigations, a half-funded €2,000,000 guarantee, or a lapsed Singular Licence all pass to the buyer.
FAQ
any questions you have
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Not today. General Licences are issued only through public tenders, and the last one closed in December 2018 with none announced since. The only live route is acquiring a company that already holds a licence.
No public benchmark; it depends on the target's GGR, the Singular Licences it holds, and its compliance record. Budget €50,000 to €150,000 for legal and due diligence and €20,000 to €50,000 for post-acquisition compliance.
Allow a minimum of 2 to 4 months for DGOJ to approve the new shareholder structure, within a total deal timeline of 6 to 18 months. Closing before clearance is a compliance violation.
A 20% tax on gross gaming revenue, plus a 2% Responsible Gaming Fund levy and a 0.075% regulatory levy, on top of 25% corporate income tax. The effective marginal burden on an online casino can exceed 40%.
It is a per-licence requirement lodged with the DGOJ. It can be reduced from the second year for operators with a consistent compliance record. It passes to the buyer on acquisition, so verify it is fully funded before signing.
Navigating the gaming license process can be complex. Here's a streamlined guide to each step