Industry experts at the Gaming in Spain conference issued an urgent warning that tightening regulations must be complemented by an efficient player experience.
Operators in the country are facing a wave of structural reform, headlined by a likely return of advertising restrictions, cross-platform deposit limits and a government-backed algorithm to detect gambling harm.
However, such stringent measures only solve part of the problem, warned Jorge Hinojosa, Director General of Jdigital.
“The reforms introduced over the past seven years have rightly focused on player protection,” he told attendees. “But they have not been complemented, in my opinion, by policies to keep the market more competitive.”
Therefore, Hinojosa emphasised that there needs to be recognition that operators, the DGOJ (Spain’s regulator), and the wider industry have a “common job” to ensure that Spain develops a stronger gambling market through measures such as allowing new modalities like live casino.
Black market concerns
During the conference, the threat of the black market was never far from discussions.. Data presented revealed that the unregulated sector has grown by 23% in 2024, fuelled in part by the rise of crypto payments.
In addition, the DJOG issued €77m in financial penalties to illegal platforms operating in Spain last year.
However, Esther Martin-Ortega, Head of Public Affairs and Sustainability at Flutter Entertainment, warned that just as quickly as one black market operator is thwarted, another with a greater “risk appetite” will be willing to fill the void.
In particular, Martin-Ortega cited the impact of advertising across social media as to why the unregulated market is continuing despite efforts by regulators.
She explained: “There are influencers on gaming, and they always find a way of putting the advertising in front of you, and then they get the visibility they need. We have a generation of smartphone natives who check what’s going on on social media. Access for a consumer to the black market is much broader than ever.”
Like Hinojosa before her, Martin-Ortega concluded by reiterating the need to keep the regulated Spanish market attractive, given that players have the chance to look elsewhere at the click of a mouse or the unlocking of their mobile.
