The Activity Of Spanish Gambling Regulator DGOJ

As a Spanish or foreign gambler living in Spain, you can't approach the casino or sports betting environment without knowing the activity of DGOJ, the Spanish General Directorate for the Regulation of Gaming Activities.

What Does The DGOJ Do?

This body depends on the Spanish Ministry of Consumer Affairs, which was created through the Gambling Act to regulate online casinos in Spain and, in general, all kinds of gambling and betting activities in the country. In Spain, the DGOJ is the only national entity entitled to adopt secondary regulation measures according to the core gambling regulation, control and regulate all companies and parties involved in gaming activities, and report and investigate illegal or suspicious gaming activities. The DGOJ also has decisional power over the claims filed against gambling operators, which means that the DGOJ works in cooperation with local financial and criminal authorities.

The Gambling Act

While land-based gambling was the only reality in the past, today's most developed form of gambling seems to be online. The proliferation of new casino and sports betting sites goes hand in hand with the massive internet penetration in today's society, which makes online gaming and gambling sites easier to access than most land-based shops and venues in this market.

In Spain, the Gambling Act began to regulate online gambling in 2011. The Gambling Act is a national document that sets strict licensing for all casino and gaming operators in the country. All casino companies must obtain a gambling license from the Spanish authorities to offer their services and gaming products. Moreover, casino operators or other betting operators must comply with the gaming and betting criteria set by the DGOJ. In other words, not all casino and betting products are legal in Spain, but only those that the DGOJ approved and regulated.

Land-Based Gambling Regulation

Regarding land-based casinos, the 17 regions of Spain have the competence to regulate and control the gambling activity offered by casinos, bingo halls, arcades, and other betting shops on their territories. However, each region has its laws, which means the legal regime isn't the same everywhere in Spain. A certain game may be legal in a region and illegal on the other side of the regional border. For foreign gamblers, this sensible variation may represent an inconvenience leading to legal issues - that's why it's always recommended to view all the gambling policy and regulatory statements in the specific region where you want to gamble.

However, we can list some casino games that result legal almost everywhere in Spain: baccarat, blackjack, poker, Thirty and Forty, dice, Chemin de Fer, roulette, the slot machine of type C, bingo, sports betting, social betting, slot machines types A and B in gambling arcades. Finally, lotteries are national games distributed and administrated by the government, but the licenses are limited and depend on SELAE and ONCE, the Spanish lottery operators.

Online Gambling In Spain

All Spanish licensed operators must offer their services and gaming products to only customers resident in Spain. The consumer's IP address is strictly controlled to prevent users outside the country from accessing gambling sites. Similarly, all casino operators without a Spanish license must provide their IP to avoid Spanish consumers accessing their sites. This strict gambling regulation ensures Spanish operators have only users in the country, on the other side, Spanish gamblers have access to only Spanish operators online.

Also, all the Spanish operators must be located in Spain to allow the DGOJ to access their platforms for monitoring and testing activity.

How To Apply And Renew A DGOJ License

As a gambling operator, access to the Spanish gambling market is possible only when the DGOJ launches a call for tender. Thus, all gaming operators who want to apply for a license can have a chance and establish their activity on the national territory.

Since 2011, when the Gambling Act started, the DGOJ launched only three calls for tender (Nov. 2011, Oct. 2014, and Dec. 2017). The operators can apply for a general license during the call period. The process implies several legal, technical, and financial requirements to provide the capability to operate in the online gambling environment effectively and in compliance with the corresponding laws. The DGOJ general license allows the operators to apply for singular licenses according to the specific gaming products they want to offer. Also, the games and betting options must receive approbation and regulation by the DGOJ within the terms of validity of the general license.