New Online Gambling Opportunities for Castilla y Leon in Spain

The Spanish Castilla y Leon (Castile and Leon) region finally approved a decree to regulate online gambling after four years of legislative hesitation, Spanish gambling news reported in the regional Official Gazette earlier last week.

Castilla y Leon is the largest autonomous region in Spain. Its area covers 94,223 square kilometers and it has an official population of 2.5 million. The capital city is Valladolid with a population of 313,000.

The new decree of remote gambling describes regulatory principles and specifies gaming channels. It explains the necessary consumer protection measures in detail, lists the type of games authorized, as well as the required tax liability and licensing framework according to the regional and Spanish gambling laws.

After a successful application for an online gambling operation and marketing license, operators will be authorized to start internet bingo services, as well as online slots, sweepstakes and raffles offerings. Operators may also gain the possibility to run other games of chance such as online poker, roulette and blackjack and Spanish online casino offerings.

The new regulations require operators to be partnered with a Castilla y Leon resident company or legal entity that is active in the gaming sector. Other requirements include varying associative percentages, and a registered office in the region. The new regulator must also utilize local IT facilities, banking services and payment processors.

According to the Official Gazette, compliant operators will enjoy priority in licensing over those who currently offer gambling services in some form, but are not fully authorized for running such activities.

One applicant may not participate in more than one corporation. Each applicant must show a capital of over 3 million Euros for internet operations, and Euro 300,500 for other services excluding internet.