Spain Bingo Players May Face Ban

Players who enjoy online bingo are likely to be frustrated in Spain. Starting June 1, only companies with a Spanish government-issued license and an .es domain will be allowed to operate virtual gambling sites in the country.

The Socialist Party passed a new gambling law last year introducing the new guidelines, but was delayed when they lost power to the Popular Party in November.

The new law doesn’t pertain to online bingo, so for those residing in Spain who have enjoyed UK bingo sites will unfortunately not have access to play. It has not officially been banned but the legalities suggest if it is not on the list of regulated products, it isn't legal.

While sports betting is permitted under the new law, live in-play betting has been excluded and there has been speculation that the regulation of betting exchanges — such as that run by Betfair — will be delayed

Willem van Oort, chief executive of GranViaOnline, a marketing agency specialising in the Spanish online gaming, said many British expats won’t be interested in some of the sites on offer post-regulation. “These people play on the UK-based sites and because of their residence they won’t be able to do this anymore. They might not be interested in Spanish language poker or casino.”

“There are a number of expat high rollers living on the coast. But they may find it more difficult as the land-based companies who will now be setting up websites in Spain don’t really understand these people,” said van Oort.