TITLE: Spain's Ministry of Social Rights Opens Public Consultation on Gaming Law Amendments
BODY:
On May 18, 2026, Spain's Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and 2030 Agenda (through its General Directorate of Gaming Regulation) opened a public consultation on proposed amendments to the Gaming Regulation Act (Ley de Regulación del Juego). The current legislation has been in force for 15 years, and the ministry seeks to modernise the framework to better address digital gaming evolution, strengthen consumer protections, and enhance enforcement against illegal gaming.
The proposed amendments focus on several key areas. The ministry intends to regulate the use of celebrities and influencers in gaming advertising, customer acquisition promotions, and organic search engine advertising, ensuring gaming operator advertisements appear only in searches directly related to betting. Additionally, the reform aims to reinforce controls, improve problem gambling prevention, and provide stronger tools against illegal gaming operations. The ministry is developing a pioneering algorithm for early detection of problem gambling based on real microdata, which it estimates could increase current detection rates by 10 percentage points. This tool will become mandatory for all gaming operators. The ministry also announced that gaming advertising mediums must display risk warnings using the same format as tobacco packaging, including information such as the statistic that 75 percent of players lose money.
The public consultation period runs until June 22, 2026. Citizens, organisations, and stakeholders can submit contributions to the General Directorate of Gaming Regulation at dgoj.sgregulacion@ordenacionjuego.gob.es. The consultation will gather feedback on current problems, reform objectives, and potential measures to address them.