Spain: fines against online gambling hit €71m in Q1
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs says it imposed fines on 30 online gambling operators.
Spain.- The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, which is responsible for overseeing gambling policy Spain, has reported that sanctions totalling €71m were issued against 30 online gambling operators in the first half of the year.
Of the total fines, €70m comprised fines of €5m each issued against 14 operators that did not have Spanish online gambling licences. Most of these were based in Curaçao.
Those receiving the maximum fine were Blockdance BV, Fairgame GP NV, Bets Entertainments NV, Newera BV, Santeda International BV, XO Corporacion NV, Casbit Group NV, Altacore NV, Versus Odds BV, Favorit United NV, Ryker BV, Techoptions Group BV, Smein Hosting and AK Global NV. The number of fines and bans for unlicensed operators represents an increase from the second half of 2022.
Meanwhile, 16 fines ranging from €25,000 to €105,000 were issued against operators licensed by the Spanish gambling regulator, the DGOJ, for breaches of regulations. Licensed operators receiving fines included Beatya SA, Spain’s Codere Online, Zebetting y Gaming España, Marathonbet and Skill-on-Net. Most of the fines were issued due to failings related to responsible gambling standards.
The DGOJ has been reporting infringements directly to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs since 2021. So far, the ministry has reported sanctions, including 73 in 2022.
Last month, the ministry presented its Prevalence Study of Gambling on the General Public of Spain to public health stakeholders on its Responsible Gambling Advisory Council. The study compiles data from 20,000 surveys in Spain’s 17 autonomous communities.
The study estimates that 49.5 per cent of the Spanish population of 47.5 million engages in some form of gambling. Of these people, 97 per cent engage in gambling in person and 6.6 per cent online. Some 81 per cent of people said they only played on lotteries.
Meanwhile, the DGOJ has announced funding for 26 research projects into gambling harm. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs allotted €1.3m for academic studies that aim to improve understanding of gambling disorders.
