Spain to Create New Body to Harmonize Gambling Regulations

The DGOJ and UNE signed an accord to create a new technical agency to harmonize Spain’s federal gambling regulations and standards.

New Entity to Meet EU Requirements

The Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ), Spain’s gambling regulator, has signed a new collaborative arrangement to create a new technical agency tasked with harmonizing the country’s federal gambling rules, standards, and market controls.

DGOJ will collaborate with UNE, the standardization body established by the Ministry of Economy, to meet EU competition requirements across the 17 autonomous regions of Spain.

The alliance will form a new governmental entity that will carry out standardized actions regarding online gambling. These actions will be directed at changing how Spain’s regulated marketplace operates and how licenses companies are governed.

When set up, the new technical body will represent Spain at EU meetings to discuss how the Member State implements the new laws and guidelines for online gambling. UNE will oversee the regulator’s framework for the monitoring of unified norms, the collection of feedback from autonomous regions, and the accreditation of technical experts. 

DGOJ Needs More Funding

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs‘ priorities include the establishment of an online gambling player register a federal self-exclusion system, and unified regulations for land-based gambling facilities in all autonomous communities.

The Ministry reported that the DGOJ needed greater resources to ensure that technical norms necessary for gambling games and interfaces operating within the controlled marketplace in Spain were effectively monitored. Spanish gambling license holders expect the publishing of the government’s second stage of federal gambling amendments, undertaken by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, in 2021.

In addition, the Department claimed that the standardization of its regulatory systems would support the country’s public administrations, healthcare, and consumers as stakeholders involved in composing the gambling laws of Spain.