Spain’s 17 autonomous communities have joined forces to defend their authority over land-based gambling, raising concerns that national regulatory reforms could interfere with regional licensing and operating rules.
The regional administrations submitted a joint document to the Directorate-General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) and the Gambling Policy Council on 7 September, following discussions that began on 14 July.
The agreement was presented at the Expo Congress in Madrid by Ramón Cubián, the regional official responsible for gambling regulation in the Spanish capital. He explained that the document reflects a common position among all 17 administrations, despite differences in their political priorities.
The regions want guarantees that future national legislation will preserve their existing responsibilities for licensing gambling establishments, determining operating conditions and supervising customer protection measures.
According to Cubián, the dispute emerged following the 2025 Gambling Policy Council, when the DGOJ proposed taking a coordinating role in protecting vulnerable customers at land-based gambling venues.
Regional authorities are concerned that such coordination could allow the national regulator to direct activities that currently fall under their jurisdiction.
Cubián argued that local administrations are responsible for monitoring gambling businesses, protecting vulnerable consumers and balancing commercial activity with public safety. He also stressed that Spain’s regions have different economic conditions, gambling markets and numbers of licensed venues, making uniform operating requirements difficult to apply.
The joint agreement calls for regional governments to participate in decisions affecting land-based gambling, including the introduction of new retail distribution models. It also seeks stronger cooperation between national and regional authorities through the Gambling Policy Council.
Meanwhile, the DGOJ and Spain’s Ministry of Consumer Affairs are pursuing nationwide player protection measures designed to establish consistent safeguards across the regulated market.
These initiatives include a universal deposit-limit system that would impose a combined daily limit of €600 across licensed online gambling operators, rather than allowing customers to use separate allowances with individual companies.
The regulator is also developing a common algorithm to identify risky gambling behaviour and establish consistent intervention requirements. The proposed framework includes separate reporting provisions for players under the age of 21.
However, operators are still awaiting detailed technical specifications for projects first presented in 2023. Outstanding questions concern data collection, system integration, risk indicators and the procedures businesses must follow when potentially harmful gambling behaviour is identified.
Cubián expressed support for stronger measures against identity theft in online gambling but maintained that amendments to Spain’s Gambling Act should also protect cooperation between national and regional institutions.
The dispute leaves Spain’s authorities facing the challenge of developing consistent consumer safeguards while maintaining the regulatory responsibilities of its autonomous communities.