Spanish gambling operators criticise move to reimpose advertising restrictions

The industry body Jdigital has called for the government to work with operators.

Spain.- The Spanish online gambling trade body Jdigital has criticised the government’s move to reimpose restrictions on gambling advertising via a new amendment added to an unrelated decree to create a new state agency for public health.

The move means the reintroduction of restrictions against gambling ads on social media along with a ban on the use of bonus promotions and public figures as imposed by the previous Royal Decree on Advertising of 2022. The Supreme Court had partially overturned the decree in April after Jdigital and the media body AMI brought an appeal against it.

The court maintained a ban on gambling sponsorship in sports and limited hours for television advertising but annulled article 13, which banned targeting advertising at players who have had an account for fewer than 30 days, and sections of articles 23, 25 and 26, which banned advertising on social media and video sharing platforms. The court also annulled article 15, which prohibited the use of celebrities in advertising.

However, Pablo Bustinduy, the minister for consumer affairs, had said that the measures would be reintroduced via federal law. Jdigital has called on the government to engage with the industry and its own Code of Conduct on advertising and marketing, under which members have agreed to limit bonuses to €200. It described the government’s tougher line as impractical and notes that it has the support of Spanish media.

Meanwhile, the Spanish gambling regulator, the DGOJ, has hailed Spain’s signing of the Macolin Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions, an international legal instrument designed to fight sports manipulation in Europe. Spain is the 12th country to ratify the convention.

The DGOJ said the convention had been signed between the Council of Europe and Spain’s ambassador and permanent representative on October 17. The convention will come into effect on February 1 2025.

The regulator said in a statement: “This is a fundamental step in the fight against sports manipulation and to safeguard the integrity of sport, placing Spain among the countries pioneering the eradication of this ill.”