Spain introduces tobacco-style warnings for online gambling

On Wednesday Spain’s Ministry for Consumer Affairs ordered online gambling operators to display warnings about the dangers of gambling addiction, similar to the messaging used on tobacco products.  

However, the market’s gambling trade body JDigital has criticised the measure, warning that comparisons between gambling and tobacco are unreasonable.  

In a statement to Infoplay on Thursday, the trade body said the measure was “difficult to justify” and “did not correspond to the nature of regulated online gambling in Spain, which is one of the most monitored and controlled activities in Europe”.  

The rule has already been implemented into Spain’s gambling laws this week as part of the Royal Decree 958/2020, which covers marketing and gambling communications.  

Spain gambling warnings to help prevent addiction

The announcement was made by Minister for Social Rights Pablo Bustinduy at a safer gambling event on Wednesday. He said the messaging must be displayed across online games and in any banners and marketing messaging on social media.  

Current messaging which includes “play responsibly” will be replaced by warnings such as: “Gambling addiction is a risk of gambling”, “the probability of being a losing gambler is 75%” and “Losses for all gamblers are four times greater than their winnings”.  

“The responsibility should not fall on users but on the authorities, who have the democratic duty to ensure that the environments they access are safe,” Bustinduy told attendees.  

These new warnings are based on 2024 addiction research published by the Spanish Ministry for Health, which formed part of the country’s National Drug Plan. The report sought to determine the prevalence of gambling, both online and in-person, among the Spanish population. 

Within its findings, the research said up to 82% of treatment admissions in Spain during 2022 were related to gambling addiction. 

The minister said the new measure would help prevent gambling addiction and problem behaviours before they occur.  

Referencing land-based betting, he said “unscrupulous” companies have no qualms about taking advantage of those in greater need. This, he said, is also happening online.  

Ban on celebrity advertising back on the cards 

Notably, the minister is also working to reinstate regulations banning celebrities and influencers from promoting gambling activities and banning welcome bonuses aimed at young people.  

This change is being processed through the Spanish Congress, and he did not offer a timeframe for the measure to be reinstated.  

It relates to a host of previous measures passed in November 2020 restricting marketing activities for gambling operators. These included banning sponsorship deals with operators and welcome bonuses.  

However, these were partly reinstated in April last year, meaning operators could once again use celebrities to market their products and could offer welcome bonuses. But some stakeholders have hinted that certain measures could be reinstated, as Minister Bustinduy indicated on Wednesday.