Spain Proposes Strict Ban on Celebrity and Influencer Gambling Ads

#BettingLegislation  #GambleLike_Spain 

Spain’s Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) has launched a public consultation on a sweeping set of proposals aimed at tightening the country's gambling advertising laws. The consultation, which runs until 22 June 2026, focuses on banning the use of celebrities and influencers in gambling marketing, restricting promotional customer acquisition bonuses, and limiting the visibility of gambling content in organic search engine results unless a user explicitly searches for betting products.

This initiative represents the government's second attempt to enforce these specific marketing restrictions for the casino players from Spain. In April 2024, Spain’s Supreme Court partially struck down Royal Decree 958/2020, ruling that the ban on celebrity endorsements and acquisition bonuses lacked a sufficient legal basis and infringed upon the constitutional right to free enterprise. By launching this new consultation, the DGOJ aims to reintroduce these consumer protection measures through a proper, legally grounded legislative process that can withstand future judicial scrutiny.

The regulatory push is heavily supported by recent data highlighting the profound impact of modern marketing on younger demographics. A Spanish study published in February 2026 revealed that 84% of young gamblers felt advertising influenced their behavior, pointing to the credibility of the advertising source—such as a well-known influencer—as a key predictor of gambling intent. Furthermore, international data from the UK Gambling Commission’s 2025 reports indicated that up to 49% of 16-year-olds following online creators were exposed to gambling content through streamers and influencers, proving that such marketing actively cultivates curiosity and engagement rather than just passive exposure.

In addition to advertising limits, the broader reform package introduced by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs features two major technical mandates for licensed operators. The first is the implementation of a mandatory early-detection algorithm that analyzes real player data to identify harmful gambling patterns, which officials estimate could boost problem gambling detection rates by 10 percentage points. The second mandate requires prominent, responsible gambling warnings on all promotional materials, modeled directly after graphic health warnings found on cigarette packaging.

Industry stakeholders, operators, and public organizations have until the June deadline to submit their feedback to the DGOJ. While the government reviews this input to finalize the proposals, operators in the Spanish market must prepare for a significantly more restrictive marketing environment and stricter compliance obligations regarding player safety.