Spain’s gambling regulator, the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ), has launched a new research funding programme worth nearly €1 million to support studies focused on gambling-related harm and prevention initiatives.
The initiative, announced by Spain’s Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030, will provide €950,620 in grants for projects examining the risks, effects and prevention of gambling addiction and harmful gambling behaviour.
Funding applications are open to universities, healthcare institutions, research centres and non-profit organisations involved in gambling-related studies. Applicants must demonstrate experience in research connected to gambling issues.
The programme forms part of the DGOJ’s broader responsible gambling strategy and follows the launch of Spain’s Safe Gambling Programme 2026-2030 earlier this year. The regulator has recently increased its focus on younger audiences, particularly concerns linked to loot boxes, social casino products and the growing overlap between gaming and gambling mechanics.
According to the DGOJ, projects seeking funding must fall within one of six priority areas. These include early detection of risky gambling behaviour, research into financial and mental health harms, development of harm-reduction tools, analysis of links between gambling and video games, studies into gambling business structures, and research into gender-related impacts of gambling addiction.
Approved projects must begin no earlier than January 1, 2026, and conclude by June 30, 2027.
The announcement also comes during a period of wider regulatory activity in Spain. Earlier this week, the DGOJ opened a public consultation on proposed amendments to the country’s Gambling Regulation Act, including stricter rules on gambling advertising and the use of influencers or celebrities in promotions.
Spain has steadily tightened gambling advertising controls in recent years. A 2020 Royal Decree restricted television and radio gambling ads and banned sponsorship agreements, although some measures, including restrictions on celebrity endorsements, were partially overturned in 2024. Recent studies cited by the regulator showed that new online gambling account registrations in Spain dropped by more than 50% following the original advertising reforms.