Jdigital calls for rethink on Spanish gambling advertising restrictions

The online gambling operator association has called on the government to review the advertising restrictions introduced in 2020.

Spain.- The online gambling trade association Jdigital has urged the government to review Spain’s gambling advertising to make it fairer and more proportionate. Its call comes after the Supreme Court ruled that the advertising restrictions should be subject to a constitutional review.

A Royal Decree introduced in November 2020 restricts gambling advertising to between the hours of 1am and 5am, including on YouTube, and bans all gambling sponsorship in sport. On social media, operators can only show ads to their followers. They must also use age-gating to limit minors’ exposure to gambling ads.

Operators are also prohibited from offering promotional bonuses, although they may advertise special offers to registered customers. JDigital along with the media association la Asociación de Medios e Información (AMI) appealed against the Decree to the Supreme Court. The court rejected the AMI’s appeal but said the Royal Decree should be subject to constitutional review.

Jdigital said: “The Supreme Court’s decision reinforces Jdigital’s claims that the rules governing online gambling advertising in Spain infringe on the freedom of enterprise and unjustifiably harm the main players, the licensed operators, in this legal and regulated activity.

“More than a year after Jdigital filed its administrative appeal against the regulations, the association is convinced that it has taken the right steps to preserve and protect the interests of the sector and its users.

“The current scenario makes it more necessary than ever for the regulator and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs to open a window of dialogue with the online gambling ecosystem in order to study fair and proportionate legislation that’s in line with the reality of the sector and does not harm operators and related industries.”

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