SPAIN Law and Practice Contributed by: Alla Serebrianskaia, Marta de Francisco, Sara Lao and Laura Llorca, Asensi Abogados
Land-based gambling and online gambling at a regional level are regulated by each of the 17 autono- mous regions in Spain and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla. Sector-Specific Regulation Loterías y Apuestas del Estado (LAE) and the National Organisation of the Blind in Spain (ONCE) maintain the monopoly on lotteries offered at a federal level. Only charitable organisations can organise lotteries, which are therefore a restricted product. Fantasy sports can be offered at a federal level if they fit under any of the single licences approved by the regulation. Depending on the autonomous region, they can also be offered at a regional level; in both cases, they are subject to licensing. Social gaming is permitted, and these games are not subject to any licence, at a federal or regional level. Games of skill are outside the scope of the current Spanish regulatory framework and thus are not sub- ject to licensing. 2.2 Land-Based Gambling Betting, poker, bingo, casinos and gaming machines are permitted and subject to licensing. LAE and ONCE maintain the monopoly on lotteries offered at a federal level, and only some regions allow lottery operators. As explained in 2.1 Online Gambling , land-based gambling (and online gambling at a regional level) is regulated by each of the 17 autonomous regions in Spain and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, and therefore each autonomous region has its own catalogue of approved and permitted games. There are certain differences between the regions, but the following gaming products are generally permitted: • roulette; • blackjack; • boule; • trente et quarante; • craps; • baccarat; • poker;
• slots and other machine gaming; • bingo; • raffles; • tombola or charity raffles; • betting; • sports betting;
• horse betting; and • Wheel of Fortune.
It is important to highlight that the various formats of gambling products approved and listed above might be permitted in different forms, at both the federal and regional levels (different forms of blackjack, roulette, poker, etc). 3. Legislative Framework 3.1 Key Legislation Federal Legislation The key legislation for online gambling at a federal level is as follows: • the Spanish Gambling Act; • Royal Decree 958/2020 of 3 November 2020 on commercial communications for gambling activi- ties ( Real Decreto 958/2020, de 3 de noviembre, de comunicaciones comerciales de las actividades de juego ); • Royal Decree 176/2023 of 14 March 2023, devel- oping safer gambling environments ( Real Decreto 176/2023, de 14 de marzo, por el que se desarrol - lan entornos más seguros del juego ); • secondary regulation on licences, authorisations and gaming registries ( Real Decreto 1614/2011, de 14 de noviembre, por el que se desarrolla la Ley 13/2011, de 27 de mayo, de regulación del juego, en lo relativo a licencias, autorizaciones y registros del juego ); • secondary regulation approving technical require- ments ( Real Decreto 1613/2011, de 14 de noviem - bre, por el que se desarrolla la Ley 13/2011, de 27 de mayo, regulación del juego, en lo relativo a los requisitos técnicos de las actividades de juego ); • resolutions of the DGOJ; and • ministerial orders approving each type of game subject to a single licence.
465 CHAMBERS.COM
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