Spain's Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling data put online gambling operators' advertising investment at €244.1m in 2025, up 19.4% from 2024. The report also recorded €13m in sponsorships, a 140% increase, and €347m in promotions, up 32%.
The figures quantify operators' advertising and promotion expenditure under Spain's gambling rules.
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DGOJ director general Mikel Arana took part in a SiGMA World Roma panel in Rome on enforcement against illegal gambling, according to the DGOJ. Regulators from Spain, Cyprus, Greece and the Czech Republic discussed challenges including blocking unauthorised sites, payment methods, social media, mirror domains and prediction markets.
DGOJ director general Mikel Arana took part in a panel discussion at SiGMA World Roma, held at Fiera Roma, on the challenges of tackling illegal gambling in Europe, according to a DGOJ statement. The panel, titled "Europe's Enforcement Era: Regulation Is Winning But At What Cost?", brought together representatives of the regulators of Spain, Cyprus, Greece and the Czech Republic. The DGOJ said the session examined how national rules are applied and the difficulties authorities face in acting against unlicensed operators.
European gambling regulators met in Halle (Saale), Germany, on 4 November 2026, with the GGL hosting and Italy’s ADM represented by Elisabetta Poso. The authorities discussed cross-border information sharing and cooperation on illegal online gambling, advertising rules and prediction markets, which the GGL said raise similar regulatory questions across jurisdictions.
European gambling regulators met on 4 November 2026 in Halle (Saale), Germany. The agenda covered action against illegal online gambling, rules on advertising and the regulation of prediction markets.
Spain requires online gambling operators to verify payment methods used for deposits and withdrawals from 28 October 2026 under Royal Decree 813/2026. Existing customers have six months to verify or replace linked payment methods; winnings cannot be withdrawn until the operator confirms that the payment method and account have the same holder. The Consumer Affairs Ministry said the measure aims to make identity fraud harder and reported 8,675 related complaints in 2025, up 12% year on year.
Spanish online gambling operators must check the payment methods that players use for deposits and withdrawals. The requirement comes from Real Decreto 813/2026, a royal decree set on 7 October that appeared in the Spanish official gazette one day afterwards. According to the source, the decree took effect twenty days after it was published.
The dissolution of Spain's Cortes Generales left multiple gambling-related parliamentary initiatives uncompleted, according to a report on the published list of expired business. The proposals included deposit limits, gambling harm prevention, lottery sales rules and questions on minors' access to gambling; a DGOJ proposal on joint deposit limits was later presented through another route.
The dissolution of Spain's Cortes Generales left numerous parliamentary initiatives related to gambling without completed processing, according to the published list of expired business. The list records non-binding proposals, questions and requests for appearances that did not complete their parliamentary passage.
Spain’s DGOJ took part in a European regulators’ meeting in Halle, Germany, on 4 November 2026. Discussions covered information-sharing on illegal sites and apps, blocking unauthorised platforms and prediction markets; the DGOJ also presented findings from its assessment of commercial gambling communications rules.
The DGOJ, a body under Spain's Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and the 2030 Agenda, attended a gathering of European regulators held in Halle, Germany. According to the regulator, the Halle meeting took place on 4 November 2026. Discussions at the meeting dealt with exchanging information on illegal websites and apps, prediction markets, and steps to block unauthorised platforms.