Spain’s online gambling sector is entering a new regulatory phase, with officials signaling that 2026 will bring additional compliance obligations focused on consumer protection, advertising, and risk monitoring. For operators, the question is not whether rules will tighten, but how quickly draft proposals move from speeches into legally binding requirements.
The latest direction came from Andrés Barragán, Secretary General for Consumer Affairs and Gambling, during remarks linked to a FEJAR event on gambling harm and agency coordination. He said Spain’s current protections remain fragmented and that the next stage of regulation should give public authorities more direct oversight of how responsible gambling tools are supervised and enforced across the market.
Barragán’s remarks point to a broader shift from operator controls to system-level oversight
Barragán is not presenting the next phase as a routine compliance update. He has described online gambling harm in Spain as a public health issue and said existing structures fail to protect the most exposed players. That signals the Ministry will assess new rules on measurable prevention outcomes, not just written policies.
He also pointed to a stronger central role for the Ministry of Consumer Affairs in supervising safer gambling tools and public engagement. For licensees, that implies closer alignment between internal systems, DGOJ supervision, and ministerial expectations, particularly around monitoring standards and intervention triggers.
The unresolved parts of Spain’s safer gambling framework are now feeding the 2026 agenda
Spain already operates under Real Decreto 176/2023, which develops obligations under Ley 13/2011 on responsible gambling and consumer protection duties. That decree remains the legal backbone for many of the requirements under discussion, even as officials acknowledge it left gaps.
Uncertainty persists around the next technical steps. A European Commission TRIS notification filed in 2024 covered draft measures on licensing rules, a joint player deposit-limit system, and safer gambling updates, but the notification was later withdrawn. The withdrawal does not end the initiative, but it shows the path from policy intent to final text has been uneven.
Cross-operator limits would target a known gap in today’s account-by-account safeguards
One measure now clearly in focus is a cross-operator limit system designed to stop customers from bypassing restrictions by spreading activity across multiple licensed platforms. Barragán has framed this in simple terms. Limits only work if they apply across the system, not just per brand.
Operator-level deposit controls already exist. The DGOJ lists current default limits at €600 per day, €1,500 per week, and €3,000 per month, with options for players to set lower voluntary limits. Moving to an effective cross-operator system would require shared data flows, updated compliance processes, and clearer audit records on how restrictions are applied and escalated.
Advertising and early-detection reforms would extend compliance into messaging and product design
Advertising forms the second main pillar. Barragán has indicated the Ministry wants to move beyond a model that places most responsibility on individual players and instead examine how operator incentives, targeting, and product environments contribute to risk. That shift would affect how operators review creative content, targeting logic, and campaign approvals, not just warning labels.
This approach aligns with earlier government signals. In October 2025, authorities said they would develop Real Decreto 958/2020 through DGOJ resolutions and annexes to require stronger on-screen risk warnings and clearer messaging about losses and addiction risk. Barragán’s latest comments suggest those changes will sit within a broader compliance package rather than stand alone.
The policy pressure is rising because youth participation data is moving in the wrong direction
Recent youth data has added urgency. Spain’s Health Ministry said ESTUDES 2025, based on more than 35,000 students aged 14 to 18, showed higher participation in both online and land-based gambling, with sharper increases among boys.
The survey tables show 24.4 percent of students in that age group reported gambling online or in person in the previous 12 months, up from the prior wave, with significantly higher rates among male students. That data does not dictate the final wording of the 2026 measures, but it helps explain why officials are focusing on coordinated prevention and earlier intervention rather than isolated operator tools.
Spain’s operators are in a familiar position, but with tighter scrutiny. The policy direction is clear. The legal base is already in place. The remaining question is when detailed technical rules, timelines, and transition periods will turn this public health agenda into concrete compliance obligations.
