The Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and the 2030 Agenda, through the Directorate-General for Gambling Regulation, has launched the process of reforming the Gambling Regulation Act with the aim of adapting the legislation to the digital environment and strengthening the protection of users against the risks associated with online gambling.
The department headed by Pablo Bustinduy has launched a public consultation on the proposed legislative amendment, which seeks to improve prevention mechanisms, strengthen controls and expand the tools available to combat illegal gambling.
Among the key measures proposed is the regulation of the use of celebrities or influencers in advertising related to gambling and betting activities. Furthermore, the reform aims to introduce new restrictions on promotions designed to attract customers and on organic advertising on online search engines, so that advertisements from gambling operators may only be displayed when searches are directly related to betting.
The Ministry is also working on the inclusion of mandatory warnings about the risks of gambling across various advertising platforms. These messages would follow a format similar to that used on cigarette packets and would include objective information about this activity, such as the fact that the probability of losing money is 75%.
As explained by the Ministry, the current Gambling Regulation Act has been in force for 15 years; the reform therefore aims to update the regulatory framework to keep pace with the current growth of online gambling and to improve safeguards for the public.
The public consultation process will remain open until 22 June and will allow citizens, entities and organisations to submit contributions via the email address provided by the Directorate-General for Gaming Regulation: dgoj.sgregulacion@ordenacionjuego.gob.es.
Source: Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and the 2030 Agenda