The programme was discussed on 17 March in a plenary session of the Advisory Council for Safe Gambling at the DGOJ’s headquarters in Madrid. The event was attended by representatives of various national and regional public institutions, academic and health centres, sector associations, and operators. The discussion reflects a broader shift in Spain’s gambling policy framework for the coming years.
Why the Regulator Is Changing Course
The new plan appears to reflect the regulator’s view that Spain’s market now differs from what it was when the previous responsible gambling programme for 2019-2022 was designed. In the underlying programme document, the DGOJ points to a changing online player profile, new patterns of consumption, and a digital environment influenced by social platforms, AI, and new communication channels. It also highlights prevalence data from 2022-2023, indicating that 6.29% of people aged 18 to 25 had participated in gambling, with online as the predominant access channel.
This background may help clarify the language change used by the regulator. Spain is now framing safer gambling not so much as a compliance concept but as a public policy issue associated with prevention, consumer protection, and harm reduction. The programme has been organized around three key priorities:
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Analysis and diagnosis;
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Prevention;
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Promotion of safer gambling and participant protection.
These priorities are supported by six general objectives and 24 specific measures.
The Objectives of the Programme
Some of the measures point to where the DGOJ sees the next set of risks. The document includes work on the perception of gambling shaped by social media, an analysis of the effects of operators’ presence on those platforms, and further development of an online risk-detection mechanism to be used by all operators. It also includes a planned event on loot boxes and video games, which connects gambling policy with issues like youth exposure and consumer protection online.
According to the DGOJ, the measures may be adapted or extended after consulting with the advisory council. In addition, a permanent scientific section is to help shape and evaluate the policy. At the March meeting, the council was also informed of the status of the 2025 research grants for gambling harm prevention, which points to the programme’s evidence-based direction.
Market Implications
It looks like Spain is creating a new framework for the long term, which can be adapted as player behavior, technology, and market risks evolve. This is significant, since regulatory pressure may come from data-driven tools targeting young players, risky behavior patterns, and online channels through which gambling-related messages spread fastest. Thus, operators need to consider that player protection in Spain is becoming one of the key metrics by which the market will be judged.
