Spanish gambling regulator fines 20 betting operators for breaches

The Spanish gambling regulator, Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ), has taken strong measures against illegal online gambling activities in the country. In the second half of 2022, the regulator sanctioned a total of 20 online operators for serious or very serious infractions of the Regulación del Juego (LRJ) gambling law.

The violations included breaches related to online betting and gambling, such as advertising and marketing rules, self-exclusion rules, and technical requirements.

Of the 20 operators, seven were found to have committed very serious breaches, and as a result, were banned from offering online gambling services in the country for two years. Each of these operators was also fined €5.0m, totaling €35.0m in fines. The DGOJ also detected serious violations in the remaining 13 operators and issued financial penalties that amounted to €560,000.

Nine of the serious violations were related to the operators’ failure to comply with the advertising and marketing rules for gambling in Spain. Each operator was fined €10,000 as a result of the breach. The remaining four operators received penalties ranging between €125,000 and €160,000. These penalties were issued either because the operators allowed people who had self-excluded from gambling to play online or because they failed to comply with technical requirements.

Since the LRJ was updated in July 2021, establishing levels of serious and very serious violations, sanctions have been filed against a total of 92 operators. Of these, 73 were sanctioned in 2022, and 19 were sanctioned in 2021. As a result of these sanctions, more than €181.0m in fines have been issued.

The Spanish government takes illegal gambling activities seriously and has been working to strengthen its regulatory framework to prevent such activities. In addition to the sanctions imposed by the DGOJ, the Spanish government has also been working on a new bill to tighten the rules on online gambling. The bill aims to protect consumers and prevent underage gambling, among other things.

The new bill includes measures such as stricter verification processes for players’ identities, limiting advertising, and establishing a self-exclusion register. The Spanish government hopes that these measures will help to prevent illegal gambling activities and promote responsible gambling in the country.

The Spanish gambling market is one of the largest in Europe, with online gambling accounting for a significant portion of the market. As such, it is important that the government and regulators continue to work together to prevent illegal gambling activities and protect consumers in the country.

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