Congress to debate new ID requirements for gambling in Spain 

The move is intended to enhance measures to stop minors from gambling.

Spain.- New identification requirements for gambling in Spain have been proposed in a bid to prevent minors from accessing gaming machines. The PSOE, the party to which prime minister Pedro Sánchez belongs, has proposed the introduction of identification systems that would prevent minors and self-excluded players from using slots. It also wants to impose rules for a “less addictive” design for online games. 

The proposal was approved by the Spanish parliament’s cross-house Commission for the Study of Addiction Problems this week. It will now be debated and voted on in Congress and then the Senate. No date has yet been set for the debate. 

The PSOE cited a 2022 study that suggested that 21.5 per cent of 14-to-18-year-old students had gambled in-person or online in the prior 12 months. It argues that gambling participation increases with age, thus requiring early intervention to prevent harm in later life.

The Spanish gambling regulator DGOJ reported that online gross gaming revenue in Spain reached €348.1m in Q3. That’s a rise of 14.4 per cent compared to the same quarter in 2023 and 0.5 per cent from Q2 of this year.

The number of gambling accounts rose by 1.7 per cent against the previous quarter, while deposits and withdrawals rose by 23.9 per cent and 30.3 per cent year-on-year respectively. The monthly average of active game accounts rose by 33.3 per cent year-on-year to 1,443,615 and the monthly average of new game accounts rose by 42.4 per cent to 153,181.

It appears that operators took advantage of the Supreme Court’s April ruling that lifted some restrictions on gambling advertising in Spain. Figures show that operators’ combined marketing spend was up by 40.9 per cent year-on-year and 9.7 per cent quarter-on-quarter at €131.7m. This comprised €66.9m in promotions, €50.4m spent on advertising, €13.2m for affiliate expenses and €1.3m spent on sponsorship.