Garzón Reminds Operators of Upcoming Gambling Rules

Spain’s minister of consumer affairs Alberto Garzón has made a review of the activity of his department until August in a statement to the Spanish online newspaper Publico.es.

Gambling Ad Ban Stands Out 

Alberto Garzón, Spain’s minister of consumer affairs, spoke to Publico.es about the most important measures adopted by his Ministry in the past year and a half. Garzón highlighted the new gambling advertising regulations adopted through the Royal Decree on Advertising as one of the Ministry’s outstanding achievements. 

Spain’s Minister of Consumer Affairs stressed that as of September 1, Spanish TV networks, digital media, and football clubs will no longer promote gambling products. 

From September 1, all this type of invasive advertising will disappear. There will be no advertising on stadiums, there will be no advertising on shirts, there will be no celebrities promoting sportsbooks and games of chance, and there will be no advertisements on the radio, on TV, or across any other advertising channel.

Alberto Garzón, Spain’s Minister of Consumer Affairs

The leader of the Spanish Izquierda Unida Party (United Left) said that the decree’s approval faced significant obstacles, despite the fact that it seeks to protect public health, vulnerable people, and low-income individuals. 

Garzón also emphasized the adoption of less popular measures, such as the creation of an interconnected self-exclusion register in Spain. The register aims to unite the self-exclusion registers across the country’s 17 autonomous communities, which already incorporate 60,000 people. 

Ministry of Consumer Affairs to Work on New Project Decree 

Before entering its summer recess, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs published its decree project on a safer gambling environment and will move forward with its development in autumn. The decree is elaborated in cooperation with the DGOJ and envisages new rules related to wagering limits, the dissemination of information on safe gambling, and the monitoring of ‘high-risk players’. 

Spain’s gambling licensees must also comply with a ‘safety-first approach, which means that no business can endorse a customer to spend more money. Following each online session, operators must send customers a detailed report including their resources and time spent on gambling. 

Moreover, ‘high-risk players’ will not be able to use credit cards or participate in any bonus-type incentives. Also, operators will be obliged to additionally inform young customers about gambling risks.