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(AsiaGameHub) – Spain’s Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) has this week unveiled a broad new Safe Gambling Programme designed to implement fresh safeguards protecting young people from gambling-related harm. This includes evaluating how social media marketing affects youth.
Named the Safe Gambling Programme 2026–2030, the strategy was presented during a recent gathering of the Advisory Council on Safe Gambling at the DGOJ’s headquarters in Madrid.
The programme is built on three core priorities, underpinned by six broad objectives and 24 concrete actions to be finalized in consultation with the DGOJ’s advisory body, the Consejo Asesor.
To establish the required foundational research for the plan, the DGOJ launched a €1 million research grant initiative in May 2025.
What prompted the DGOJ to reassess consumer protections in Spain?
In its programme documentation, the DGOJ pointed to several key market changes since 2019 that prompted its review of consumer safeguards. These encompass the ongoing revenue consolidation among a handful of large operators and significant demographic changes, notably a rise in online gambling activity among younger people, especially those aged 18 to 25.
Concurrently, it cautioned that swift digital advancement has intensified the role of social media, video games, and artificial intelligence in the sector’s marketing and product development.
The authority is examining social media’s effect on gambling habits and will create a standardized system for identifying risky online gambling behavior, as required by the 2023 Real Decreto.
A ramp up in data, prevention and player protection push
As it formulates the plan, the DGOJ intends to assemble an extensive inventory of international and regional gambling regulations. It will also analyze game design elements that might foster addictive tendencies.
Work will concentrate on generating user-friendly public resources, such as educational guides on hazardous behaviors and the risks of gambling. This will also involve a listing of treatment and support options. The current player self-assessment tool for adjusting deposits and limits will also be reviewed.
Enhancing cooperation with treatment services and incorporating gambling oversight into national addiction frameworks like EDADES, ESTUDES, and the Plan Nacional sobre Drogas is another stated focus.
The DGOJ is arranging wide-reaching communication drives and recurring thematic conferences on subjects including artificial intelligence and loot boxes in video games. Vulnerable groups, such as young players, heavy gamers, and people previously barred from gambling, are key audiences for these awareness efforts.
The programme also encourages the use of protective instruments like the national self-exclusion registry (RGIAJ), the Phishing Alert service, and the Protocol for Victims of Identity Misuse (PACS).
Programme will evaluate impact of Royal Decrees
These developments have occurred in parallel with heightened regulatory scrutiny in Spain, characterized by Royal Decree 958/2020 and Royal Decree 176/2023. These decrees introduced tougher rules on advertising, session and spending limits, and account suspension procedures in recent years.
Last year, Spain implemented a new rule forcing online gambling sites to show addiction warnings, comparable to those in tobacco controls. The industry trade association resisted this move, stating it was enacted without prior discussion with the sector.
The Safe Gambling Programme pledges to assess the effects of the 2020 and 2023 royal decrees and their compliance with European Union directives and global regulatory standards.
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