DGOJ meets UNAD as gambling law reform consultations continue

Spain's gambling regulator, the DGOJ, met the addiction-support network UNAD on Thursday 16 October. The regulator has not disclosed which proposals were discussed or what conclusions were reached. The meeting forms part of a consultation process the DGOJ began in May 2026 with a prior public consultation on amending the gambling law.

The public consultation received more than 50 submissions, which will form the basis for the new text. On 21 July the DGOJ opened a round of dialogue with the entities that had submitted comments, starting with Jdigital. Since then it has met the land-based gambling associations ACEO, ANESAR and FEMARA, and LaLiga. In September it met SELAE, ONCE, Tu Lotero and Dedit, as well as five companies: Games Global, LEOESP, JPJ OPS Spain, OlyBet España and Golden Park Games.

The UNAD meeting follows others with health and problem-gambling bodies. In September the DGOJ added the Barcelona Public Health Agency to its consultations and met FEJAR, the Spanish federation of rehabilitated gamblers, and the Barcelona Bar Association. From the health field, SESPAS brought a proposal to raise the minimum gambling age to 21. According to the DGOJ, the reform has four objectives: strengthening identity and payment-method verification to prevent impersonation and access by minors; intensifying the fight against illegal gambling; regulating the presence of celebrities and influencers in gambling advertising; and adding new player-protection tools.

The meeting took place with the Cortes Generales dissolved and general elections called for 29 November. It was reported that the election call leaves the timetable of a reform that, as a law, must pass through parliament uncertain. The DGOJ is maintaining its agenda for now. This week the director general, Mikel Arana, told the Gaming in Spain Conference that regulatory initiatives should move quickly, including joint deposit limits and the review of Royal Decree 958/2020 on commercial communications.

According to the timetable the DGOJ announced in July, a draft text will be drawn up once the meetings and the analysis of submissions are complete. That text will then be put to public information and hearing before proceeding through the legislative process.