Online Gambling in Spain: What Affiliates Need To Know

Spain has been a regulated online gaming market since May 2011 and a lot has happened since then, so now is the time to update affiliates on all the latest news for that jurisdiction.
There are more than 46 million residents in Spain so it’s one of the biggest European markets and there are many established land based casinos there including in Gibraltar.  Most of Spain’s gambling is centered on the national lottery, Loteria National and the biggest event for the country is centered on Christmas time and is called El Gordo.
Ever since online gaming regulation was passed in 2006 it’s up to the regional governments to implement local regulations.  Madrid was the first to pass licensing regulations and conditions with the other 16 regions following close behind.
Now since February 2011, the Spanish Gambling Act or Ley de Regulacion del Juego was passed and this provided a regulatory framework for the entire country and includes all forms of online gaming conducted electronically or remotely.
Under the 2011 Act such games listed included in the law are: sports bets, horse racing bets, poker, bingo, blackjack, roulette, contests, fixed-odds bets, baccarat, and other soft games like traditional Spanish card games.
The big gaming companies have already arrived in Spain. Companies like Bwin Party, William Hill, Sportingbet, 888.com and more. Since then over 50 companies have been reviewed and approved.
These companies will be allowed to provide online gaming in the country for up to 10 years and can be renewed for 10 years. The tax rate for operators is 20 to 25% of profits on gaming licensees and will be required to pay the retroactive taxes for up to five years.  Taxes include gross income received from gaming participation, net revenue, and commissions if applicable.
Spain will soon be coming out with Advertising Guidelines for affiliate programme operators. The new director general of Spain’s gambling watchdog promised a core code of conduct for advertising.
This will obviously mainly apply to operators but affiliates should take note of what the rules and guidelines are so they can stay within these requirements.  Operators will have to be careful who they work with in this market and may ask a few more questions and review your sites a little more closely so they are partnered with complying affiliates.
Firstly, affiliates should start to look at the list of specific online gaming companies that have licenses in Spain and sign up for their affiliate programs.   Secondly, create or adjust your sites to accommodate the Spanish market, meaning regional Spanish creative promotions, content, and translated into Spanish.
Make sure you enable Spanish viewers to access the Spanish sections of your sites so they can find out about regional operators and local sporting events if your sports focused.
If you’re promoting poker programmes or casino affiliate programmes, include operators that have updated and fresh Spanish marketing materials, promotions and software that are also in Spanish.  This will make the journey from initial click to sign up much easier and speaking their language throughout will help that process.
The main thing for affiliates is to keep up to date on all the Spanish gambling affiliation news and keep learning how to effectively target each regional area.   Make sure you work with your affiliate programs that are licensed there and keep up to date on new operators entering the market so you have more than one way to make money from this regulated jurisdiction.