The Spanish government has officially initiated a comprehensive public consultation period to review proposed amendments to the national Gambling Regulation Act.
Headheaded by the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030, through the Directorate General for Gambling Regulation (DGOJ), the legislative reform is designed to modernize marketing laws that have been in place for 15 years, updating them to reflect the technological realities of modern online gaming.
Targeting Influencers, Celebrities, and Organic Search
The primary focus of the government’s review of the Spanish Gambling Regulation Act centers on significantly restricting the promotional reach of digital operators. Under the proposed guidelines, regulators are looking to completely restrict the use of celebrities and social media influencers across gambling campaigns, user acquisition offers, and organic search indexation.
The reform intends to adjust search dynamics so that gambling operator URLs are strictly limited from appearing in general search engine results unless the user’s search query is explicitly and directly connected to betting. The public consultation framework will gather feedback regarding illegal gambling prevention and compliance tools, remaining open to citizens, trade organizations, and public stakeholders until June 22, 2026.
Algorithmic Risk Detection and Tobacco-Style Warnings
The planned advertising restrictions represent a single component of Spain’s wider Safe Gambling Program 2026–2030. To curb risky player behavior, the Ministry is preparing to mandate the implementation of an advanced, real-time data algorithm across all licensed platforms. Built on microdata, this predictive system will be mandatory for operators and is projected to increase early problem-gambling detection rates by roughly ten percentage points.
Furthermore, the government confirmed that all future gambling advertisements must carry prominent health-style warnings reminiscent of tobacco packaging. These mandatory notifications will feature blunt statistical disclosures, including messages explicitly highlighting the 75% mathematical probability of losing money on wagering platforms.
This rollout follows the recent introduction of enhanced identity verification checks designed to completely eliminate underage access and ensure absolute regulatory compliance acro
