Spain is preparing a reform of the gaming sector, balancing identity and influencers
Spain’s future gambling reform could extend the regulator’s focus well beyond licensed companies. Digital identity, payment methods, celebrity-involved advertising, and action against illegal gambling are among the priorities identified by Spain’s gambling regulator, the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego, DGOJ), which has begun a series of meetings with operators and industry organisations.
The DGOJ has published the main issues that the future regulatory intervention will need to address. The preliminary consultation received more than 50 submissions, while the series of meetings with operators and industry organisations began on 21 July 2026. Discussions will continue in September.
A detailed draft of the preliminary bill will be prepared only after this phase has concluded. It will then be subject to a further public information and consultation process. The reform therefore remains at a preparatory stage, but the priorities identified by the regulator indicate that the measures could cover not only the conditions under which gambling is offered, but also identity verification, payment methods, advertising, and action against illegal gambling.
Identity and payments become a single area of oversight
Among the objectives identified by the DGOJ is the strengthening of identity and payment method verification mechanisms. Both areas are linked to preventing identity substitution and access to gambling platforms by minors.
The DGOJ’s decision to address identity and payment methods together suggests that controls could be broader and not limited to player registration. They could also cover transactions carried out through gambling accounts, although the statement does not currently explain which checks will be introduced.
The statement does not yet clarify which controls will become mandatory or whether new technical requirements will be introduced. However, checks could be strengthened at several stages, from account opening to deposits and money transfers.
Influencers and celebrities enter the regulatory agenda
Another issue explicitly mentioned is the regulation of celebrities and influencers appearing in gambling advertising. This does not yet amount to the announcement of a general ban. The DGOJ has not indicated which content could be restricted, which channels would be affected, or what responsibility could fall directly on endorsers.
However, the inclusion of the issue among the reform’s objectives shows that commercial communications will not be considered solely from the perspective of the operator purchasing advertising space. The inclusion of the issue among the reform’s objectives shows that future advertising rules will also need to address the use of celebrities and influencers. It remains to be seen whether any rules will apply only to operators or also to the methods and responsibilities associated with endorsers’ participation.
Tackling illegal gambling among the reform’s priorities
The DGOJ also intends to strengthen action against illegal gambling. The statement does not specify which measures will be introduced or whether the future text will impose obligations on parties other than operators. This will be one of the issues to examine when the preliminary bill is published.
The discussions involve online and land-based gambling associations, together with other parties such as LaLiga, the organisation that manages Spain’s main professional football competitions. Its participation confirms the regulator’s intention to gather perspectives from different sectors before defining the scope of the new regulatory framework. However, the statement does not disclose the positions of individual participants.
Clear priorities, but the reform has yet to be written
The main development is therefore not the approval of new restrictions, which do not currently exist. It is the fact that the DGOJ has already mapped out the future reform of the gambling sector. Player identity, payment ownership, advertising involving public figures, action against illegal gambling, and user protection are presented as parts of the same regulatory issue.
The preliminary bill will clarify who will be required to comply with the new rules and whether they will apply only to gambling operators or also to other parties, such as those promoting platforms or managing payments. For now, the DGOJ has identified the areas in which it intends to intervene, but it has not yet explained how it plans to do so.
This article was originally published on the Italian SiGMA News page on 28 July 2026.
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