If gambling and card games are your thing and you’re living in Barcelona, whether for a long or short period, you will probably feel the need to play a game with the locals. You must keep in mind that the law of each region of Spain is different and when playing and gambling, it is better to have an idea of what is legal and what is not legal to avoid surprises.
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In Catalonia, there are currently three documents that contain all the legal aspects of poker and casino games. The first one is Law 15/1984 of 20th of March, which was amended by the second one, Law 1 /1991 of 27th of February about the penalties for those who violate the law regarding gambling and poker and dictates that it is forbidden to play outside of some specific places in Catalonia (Barcelona Gran Casino, Casino Castell de Peralada, Casino of Tarragona, Gran Casino Costa Brava). The third document is the annual report of the game in Spain, presented by the Spanish Government.
The important information to retain from these documents is that in the city of Barcelona, it is only legally to play in the Casino Barcelona, located at Carrer de la Marina 19-21 at the Olympic Port.
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This Casino is heavily dedicated to the world of poker, offering a variety of poker rooms with Texas Hold’Em NL, Omaha Pot Limit, and Dealer’s Choice. There are also a variety of national and international daily tournaments, such as Friday Madness, Bounty Fever, and Poker Sin Pausa.
Casino de Barcelona is also the headquarter of the European Poker Tour and the World Poker Tour which attract hundreds of participants each year. You can enroll in the University League (Poker Cum Laude), and in all poker tournaments on their website, where you can also check your registration and your participation in each tournament. You also have an online version available if you don’t feel like going to the venue.
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Casino Barcelona also offers other games such as the French Roulette, the American Roulette, Stud Poker, Blackjack, and the North American Baccarat. Those who like slots will not be disappointed with the Casino‘s offer, which includes Video Multi-Line Wheel Slots, Video Multi-Game Slots, Video Poker, Multiplying Wheel Slots, I-Table Blackjack, I-Table Ultimate Texas Hold’Em, Automatic Roulette, Easy Poker, and I-Roulette. The Casino also offers visitors the opportunity to bet on sports like basketball, snooker, soccer, and boxing.
At Casino de Barcelona, they also hold social events and celebrations, such as the Bufete de Feria, during the Feria de Abril (a festivity from the south of Spain), the Sant Jordi celebration on the 23rd of April, Friday Sessions, musical performances by well-known artists, and contests in which people can win great prizes like luxury cars.
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Despite Casino Barcelona being the only place in the city where it is legal to play poker, there are other gambling houses around where you can play games like slots, roulette, blackjack, bingo and more.
We suggest that you visit only well-known establishments like the Golden Park chain which has a number of venues all over the city. Another option is Bingo Poblenou, which has also been in business for years. There are plenty of Golden Park salons in Barcelona, but if you want to stay around the center head on to Carrer de Pelai, 56, or to Rambla de Santa Mònica, 16. Bingo Poblenou is easy to find, located at Rambla del Poblenou, 33, in the neighborhood’s main boulevard.
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Documents: When preparing to go gambling, don’t forget to check if you are carrying all the necessary documents with you. Casino Barcelona always asks for some form of identification. European citizens can show their national ID card, driver’s license or passport, while non-UE citizens can only use their passport to go in.
Attire: Casino Barcelona is a classier venue than the regular gambling houses in the city. This doesn’t mean you have to wear couture but you cannot go in dressed too casually, with flip flops and tank tops.
Gambling responsibly: Before going out to gamble, set aside the amount of money you can afford to use for your bets. Make a commitment to yourself to only spend that amount of money or the winnings. If your money runs out, do not go to an ATM and get more. End your gambling session and try again another day. Remember: most casino games are games of chance which means that it is hard to predict when you will win and when you will loose. Do the right thing and gamble responsibly.
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There are so many varieties of poker and it might become difficult for the players to know each and every thing about all these varieties. I am glad that you wrote about the regulations of different poker games so clearly and this will definitely help the users. I would like to introduce my casino website where the players can find a brilliant poker rooms and play these in the flash game version or live dealer game.
There is only one place to play Texas Holdem in Barcelona ?