Spain becomes latest Euro government to focus on gambling regulations

If there’s one subject that’s really captured the interest of lawmakers across Europe and the UK, it’s gambling. From the United Kingdom to Sweden, governmental authorities are cracking down on gambling operators and the way they conduct their business, with a particular focus on their advertising practices and their treatment of problem gamblers. It’s a trend that doesn’t look to be slowing and some recent actions by the Spanish government back up that assertion.
Earlier this week, Spanish lawmakers began looking at a series of reforms that are aimed at updating their gambling regulatory framework and cracking down on some of the practices that have been the mainstay of European operators for decades. The reform movement is being spearheaded by the recently appointed Minister of Consumer Affairs, Alberto Garzon Espinosa. Espinosa’s agency was only recently handed responsibility for overseeing gambling and they’re attacking their new duties with tremendous enthusiasm.
More specifically, Espinosa is looking to implement a series of six major reforms that are intended to regulate advertising practices; prevent underage gambling; and mitigating problem gambling. The new actions were summarized in a statement from government officials, reported on by GamblingNews.com saying, “We will promote the involvement of gambling and betting operators in the development of information, prevention, sensitisation and reparation actions for possible undesirable effects derived from gambling activity.”
The move for gambling regulatory reform is the first major change to Spanish gambling law since 2016. Back then, much of the new regulatory framework was aimed specifically at advertising, and didn’t focus much on problem gambling.
Spain’s actions are in line with reforms that have been implemented in the UK and Sweden, and other European countries are likely to join that group.