Spain's gambling sector raises concerns about new safer gambling messaging

Spain's Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030 has announced a new requirement for online gambling platforms to include warning messages similar to those found on tobacco packaging.

Examples include: "the probability of being a losing player is 75%" and "total player losses are four times higher than total winnings."

Jdigital, the trade body representing licensed private operators in Spain, strongly criticised the measure.

The association argued that equating gambling with tobacco "does not make sense," given that regulated online gambling is a legal and controlled form of digital entertainment.

According to Jdigital, the approach fosters stigma by suggesting all adult users are at risk, instead of promoting a distinction between responsible play and problem gambling.

The group also highlighted what it sees as regulatory inequality. While private operators will be required to comply, state lotteries will be exempt, despite their products carrying the same risks.

Jdigital warned this would damage the reputation of licensed operators that already meet strict standards imposed by the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling.

For the association, the Government's approach risks being counterproductive. By stigmatising legal platforms, Jdigital argues, users may be pushed towards the unregulated market, a sector lacking age verification, transparency and consumer safeguards.

Instead, the association urged authorities to focus enforcement efforts on illegal operators.

The clash echoes regulatory tensions seen elsewhere in Latin America.

The ANJL note came with a warning that prohibition could drive consumers to illegal markets.

Both cases illustrate the fragile balance regulators face between protecting vulnerable players and ensuring that licensed operators are not undermined in favour of the black market, but also raising doubts over whether the true priority is player welfare or simply regulatory control.

{{QUOTE}}We consider this a difficult measure to justify and that it does not correspond to the nature of regulated online gaming in Spain, one of the most monitored and controlled activities in Europe, with strict user protection systems{{/QUOTE}