How to get an online gambling license in Spain

Spain is a mature and fully regulated online gambling market, but access is currently limited due to the legal framework in place.

🛑 No new licenses available

The Spanish gambling authority (DGOJ) has not opened a new licensing window in years, and there is no scheduled date for new applications.

Companies cannot apply for a new general license unless the government initiates a formal call for applications, a process that has not happened in years.

Despite this, entering the market is still possible, by acquiring a licensed company.

✅ Acquiring a licensed company

Since licenses are non-transferable, the only viable route to operate legally today is to purchase the company that holds the license. This acquisition includes the license itself, and potentially additional assets such as platform infrastructure, supplier contracts, and databases.

• Companies with limited activity or no active user base usually range between €1M and €1.5M.
• More established operators with traffic and revenue can reach €3M to €5M+, depending on performance and database quality.

Once acquired, the company retains its general license(s), and you can request additional singular licenses under those general categories — even outside of licensing windows.

🧾 How Spanish gambling licenses work

The DGOJ distinguishes between two types of licenses:

General licenses (3 types):

• Bets
• Contests
• Other games (casino, slots, poker…)

These can only be obtained during government-issued licensing windows. If you do not have a general license, you cannot operate or request any game licenses within that category.

Singular licenses:

These correspond to specific games or verticals (e.g. sportsbook, roulette, blackjack, bingo, poker…).

They must be linked to an existing general license, but can be applied for at any time by an already licensed company.

🧩 How Itzitip can help

At Itzitip, we act as your strategic and operational partner throughout the entire acquisition process. We can help you:

• Identify licensed companies in Spain that match your business model and target budget
• Connect with sellers and access confidential documentation under NDA
• Coordinate due diligence with legal and regulatory experts
• Support negotiations, structure, and commercial terms of the deal
• Advise on DGOJ procedures, singular license expansion, and post-sale compliance

We help international operators enter the Spanish market by finding the right acquisition target and managing the process from first contact to closing.

Our fee is 1% of the final transaction value, payable only at the moment of purchase.

This ensures full alignment and performance-based delivery — we only succeed if your acquisition is successful.

💳 Financial guarantee requirement

All licensed operators in Spain are required to maintain a mandatory financial guarantee of €1.000.000, deposited as a bank guarantee or surety bond.

When acquiring a company, the new owner must replace this guarantee at the moment of purchase. This is a non-negotiable regulatory condition, and should be planned in coordination with your banking partner.

Note: when the window to request new licenses is open, initial guarantee is 2.000.000€

📌 Additional legal and operational requirements

To operate in Spain, companies must meet the following conditions:

• Be established in the European Union
• Have a bank account in the EU
• Be registered with the Spanish Tax Agency (AEAT)
• Pay the gambling tax, which is 20% of GGR (Gross Gaming Revenue)
• Pay the “administrative tax”, which is 0.00075 % of total wagers per year
• Integrate with the DGOJ’s monitoring and reporting systems
• Comply with responsible gambling, AML, RGPD/GDPR, and technical standards

We help you evaluate not just the acquisition target, but also what changes may be required to update platform providers, suppliers, and singular licenses post-acquisition.

Find out more about gambling in Spain.