Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego

What this authority does

Spain licensed online gambling under its 2011 Gambling Act, with the first licences issued in 2012. The structure is two-tier: an operator holds a general licence for a category of activity, such as betting or "other games", and then a singular licence for each specific game type it wants to offer within that category. Adding a new vertical therefore means a new singular licence rather than an amendment.

Spain is best known in the industry for the 2020 royal decree on gambling advertising, which restricted television and radio advertising to a narrow overnight window, prohibited welcome bonuses aimed at new customers, and ended shirt sponsorship by gambling brands in professional football. Parts of the decree were later annulled by the Supreme Court, which is a useful reminder that advertising rules in several markets are still being settled in litigation rather than only in legislation.

Regional structure matters in Spain as well: online gambling is regulated nationally, but land-based gambling is a matter for the autonomous communities, each with its own authority and rules.

Licences it issues

• General licence (betting, other games, contests)
• Singular licence per game type

What supervision concentrates on

• Licensing
• Advertising and bonus restrictions
• The RGIAJ exclusion register
• Supervision of player protection measures

Markets on file under this authority