Spain’s Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) has kicked off a fresh chapter in its push to boost player safety and encourage responsible gambling.
Spain Unveils New Gambling Council and Drafts Bold Plan for 2026–2030 Reforms
On June 19, the Spanish gambling watchdog held the first meeting of its revamped Responsible Gambling Advisory Council and showed off the rough draft of a game plan that will shape national gambling rules from 2026 to 2030.
The council now has a new group of experts, including people from government, health, universities, and the gambling business. These members have experience in studying gambling addiction, enforcing rules, and running gambling companies. This change happened after the old council’s term ended in May. It is a new step to make Spain’s gambling rules fit with new technology and social changes.
The main focus of the meeting was to introduce the Safe Gambling Program 2026–2030. This plan sets out what rules they want to make in the future. The draft has three main parts: a new look at gambling today, ways to make gambling safer, and strong ways to protect people who gamble.
One of the key ideas put forward is setting up central deposit limits. The new rules will put a cap on daily deposits at €600 ($691) and weekly deposits at €1,500 ($1,727). These caps will cover all operators with licenses and will be tracked as they happen. This aims to stop people from spending too much before it turns into a problem.
Spanish Gambling Regulator Targets Risky Behavior with AI and Tighter Ad Rules
In addition, the DGOJ plans to use AI to spot risky gambling habits early on. Companies will need to put in place systems that can pick out users who show signs of addiction and step in to help.
Gambling ad rules are up for review. Possible new regulations could restrict betting promotions to certain times and ban famous people or social media stars from ad campaigns. The plan also includes tighter control of affiliate websites and comparison sites.
To help shape policies, the DGOJ has set aside over €1 million ($1.2 million) to fund university studies. Researchers can get money to study things like how young people gamble, differences between men and women’s gambling habits, and links between gaming and gambling.The new council has three months to give their thoughts on the draft plan. They expect to approve the final version at the next meeting. This will then guide Spain’s gambling safety policies for the next four years.