Online Slot Games Finally Legal in Spain

Gaming operators cleared to offer slot games in Spain from 2 June (Image: CalvinAyre.com).

As of 2nd June, casino operators are free to offer their Spanish customers a chance to play slot games online as the country’s gambling regulator has issued ten new online licenses as well as confirming another 20 licenses to operators who had earlier applied for regulated slots play.

This will come as great news to world’s leading software providers and online operators with the long wait to enter the Spanish market finally over.

The EU national passed the legislation to regulate online gaming in the country in 2012, which saw over 70 operators receive licenses to offer their services to the country’s residents, but online slots and betting exchanges remained banned until the latest developments.

DGOJ Issues Ten New Licenses

La Direccion General de Ordenacion del Juego (DGOJ) has now awarded licenses to ten new operators that include Net Entertainment, Eurobet, SKS365 Espana and Merkur Interactive.

At the same time, the likes of 888 Holdings, William Hill, Playtech, PokerStars and bet365 were among the twenty gaming companies that received permission to offer online slot games after previously receiving licenses for other types of online gambling.

And with casino gaming and video slots proving extremely popular among online gamers everywhere, more high-profile operators can be trusted to enter the Spanish market in the coming years.

DGOJ has been heavily criticized for the failure to create the needed conditions to allow the gaming industry to flourish, and no doubt their latest actions are enough to suggest the governing body has learned from its mistakes.

Spanish Gambling Market Continues to Grow

In spite of some obvious flaws, Spain’s regulated market has enjoyed a steady growth over the last couple of years, with online gaming market growing 14% to €77.4 million in the first quarter of 2015.

And while poker earnings fell 5% to €16.8 million, sports betting has remained as popular as ever, seeing 20% increase to €45.5 million compared to the previous year.

Spanish gamers appear to be jumping on the bandwagon as they spent impressive €1.9 billion in Q1, with the number of active players increasing by 20%.

The introduction of slot gaming is likely to further boost the numbers and provide another important impetus to the country’s struggling economy, with the government’s efforts to regulate gambling already producing excellent results.