Spain faces autonomous rift on gambling rights of local communities

Spain’s 17 autonomous communities have signed a joint document defending their powers to govern the terms of business for land-based gambling venues. The document and its concerns were brought to light at the Expo Congress of Madrid, as autonomous states detail the overreach by the Directorate-General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) on the licensing of venues and application of fixed rules. The challenge is led by Ramón Cubián, Madrid’s Director-General for Land and the official responsible for gambling. Cubián outlined the terms of the document and its concerns relayed to the Directorate in comments made to Spanish news source AZAR Plus. The document was submitted to the DGOJ and the Gambling Policy Council on 7 September, following discussions involving all 17 regional administrations that began on 14 July. Cubián emphasised that the agreement brought together governments with different political priorities around a shared defence of regional responsibilities. “With all 17 autonomous communities present, we drew up proposals which we then circulated, incorporating contributions from several autonomous communities into a consolidated text,” he explained. “We have not produced a political text; we have produced a working document defending freedom and the powers of the autonomous communities.” The regions are seeking assurances that national reforms will preserve their authority over land-based gambling, including licensing and the conditions governing venues. Their concern is that a coordinating role for the DGOJ could extend into directing responsibilities already assigned to regional administrations. Communities need autonomy on gambling Cubián argued that regional powers are directly connected to the practical supervision of gambling businesses and protection of customers. “The autonomous communities are the authorities dealing with these matters every day. We have the daily responsibility to guarantee freedom of enterprise, freedom of leisure and protection for vulnerable people,” he stated. “This is not simply about insisting that ‘this is my competence’. It is the autonomous communities that protect vulnerable people within their territories, because that is our responsibility.” He traced the dispute to discussions following the 2025 Gambling Policy Council, when, according to his account, the DGOJ proposed a coordinating role over protections for vulnerable customers in land-based gambling. “There was an attempt to assume a coordinating role over the autonomous communities, telling us what we had to do to protect vulnerable people in land-based gambling,” Cubián said. He maintained that common objectives should accommodate differences between regional markets. “Each autonomous community has a different political, economic, social and business reality,” he explained. “The specific circumstances of gambling differ in each community, as do the number of gambling venues and people’s ways of life.” The agreement therefore calls for regional participation in decisions affecting land-based gambling, including any future forms of retail distribution. “We ask that these matters be analysed with everyone participating, including within the Gambling Policy Council, so that there is coordination between the state and the autonomous communities,” Cubián added. DGOJ pushing federal agenda with no roadmap The DGOJ maintains that its mandate from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs supports the alignment of Spain’s fragmented gambling framework with common protection standards. The regulator and Ministry continue to work on joint projects, including a universal deposit-limit system and a common algorithm to detect gambling harms and risky behaviour. The proposed universal deposit-limit system would apply a €600 daily limit across licensed online operators, preventing customers from treating each operator’s deposit allowance as a separate limit. The universal algorithm would establish common criteria for identifying risky gambling behaviour and requiring intervention. Separate reporting of players aged under 21 is also envisaged within the protection framework. However, frustration persists over the DGOJ’s inability to provide operators and stakeholders with detailed technical documents for the key projects first presented in 2023. Businesses require clarity on data requirements, system integration, risk indicators and intervention procedures to prepare for implementation. The absence of those specifications leaves questions over delivery schedules and operational obligations. Cubián supported stronger safeguards against identity theft in online gambling, while arguing that legislative changes must also reinforce institutional cooperation. “Taking advantage of this amendment to the Gambling Act, the framework for institutional collaboration should be guaranteed, maintaining an effective protection system and the effectiveness of the national system itself,” he said.