Spanish regulators outline new restrictions on high-risk online casino advertising for 2025
Spain is preparing to introduce new rules for online casino advertising in 2025, setting clearer standards for how promotions are displayed and how digital campaigns are presented across the Canary Islands.
Spanish gambling law is heading into another important update. Over the next year, regulators in Madrid are expected to refine how online casino brands promote themselves, especially in digital campaigns that reach younger or more active players.
For people in the Canary Islands, where a strong tourism economy overlaps with Spain’s national gambling rules, the changes are more about how offers appear than whether online casinos remain available.
The Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ), Spain’s gambling regulator, has outlined a 2025 agenda that concentrates on “higher-risk” advertising formats. The focus is on clearer standards and better transparency rather than on a dramatic new clampdown.
How Spain reached its next regulatory turning point
The starting point for the current phase is Royal Decree 958/2020, which narrowed broadcast advertising windows, limited promotional bonuses and reduced sponsorship visibility for gambling brands. In April 2024, Spain’s Supreme Court annulled several of the strictest digital provisions, ruling that parts of the decree went beyond what secondary legislation should do. That decision widened the space for online casino and betting brands to increase their presence on social and streaming platforms.
Market data shows how quickly the sector has grown around that framework. Spain’s regulated online gambling market generated roughly €1.45 billion in gross gaming revenue (GGR) in 2024, continuing a run of year-on-year expansion. Advertising spend reached about €203 million, up more than 37% on 2023 and close to the record level set in 2021. When affiliates and bonuses are included, total marketing outlay has been estimated at around €526 million.
Participation has followed a similar curve. DGOJ summary figures for 2024 reported a 21.6% rise in active online gamblers, adding more than 450,000 new accounts in a single year. For regulators, that combination of strong GGR and rising participation is the backdrop to the 2025 review: the intention is to update definitions and tools so that the rules are aligned with how people now play and how operators now advertise.
What “high-risk” advertising means in practice
“High-risk” in this context does not mean that particular casino games are being banned. It refers to how and where those games are promoted. Policy documents and consultation papers point to three areas that will receive closer attention: welcome incentives, campaigns for fast-paced products such as online slots and in-play betting and marketing built around influencers or short-form video formats.
Research into Spain’s regulatory system has helped support that view. A 2025 analysis found that limits on bonuses, sponsorships and advertising reduced the number of new accounts and the total amount wagered by first-time players, even though established users changed their behaviour less. Regulators have taken that as support for keeping structured boundaries on promotion while still allowing a healthy licensed market.
In countries where advertising windows are narrower, players often rely on independent resources to compare which operators meet licensing and safety standards. Ireland is one example.
There, curated comparison hubs such as trusted online casino sites in Ireland bring together detailed, data-backed reviews of licensed platforms. The page outlines each casino’s euro-denominated banking methods, payout times, security credentials and win-rate statistics, and it highlights which operators have strong reputations for fast withdrawals, clear bonus terms and consistent customer support. It also maintains a separate section for sites Irish players should avoid, based on licensing gaps or slow payment records. In practice, the guide functions as a transparent directory of Ireland’s regulated online casinos, helping readers understand exactly how different operators perform before they sign up.
European context influencing Spain’s 2025 strategy
Spain’s reassessment fits into a wider European pattern. In the United Kingdom, a voluntary “whistle-to-whistle” break has been in place for TV betting adverts during live sport, but visibility around matches remains high. A University of Bristol study published in October 2025 logged more than 5,200 gambling messages during a single Premier League game between Manchester City and Wolves, with 91% of those messages seen during live play. Across the opening weekend of that season, researchers counted over 27,000 gambling messages.
Public opinion research has moved in parallel. Polling published in early 2026 found that around 70% of UK respondents support tighter rules on gambling sponsorships and advertising. Spain’s legal framework is different, but those numbers highlight how expectations around visibility are changing in Europe’s main betting markets.
Against that backdrop, the DGOJ’s proposed 2025 measures emphasise clearer disclosures, more consistent labelling of sponsored digital content and stronger oversight of affiliate marketing. Updated criteria for campaigns that are likely to reach young adults are also being discussed, so that offers are presented within agreed parameters without undermining the stability of the regulated sector.
How the Canary Islands will see the impact
Spanish gambling rules apply nationwide, which means the Canary Islands work under the same 2025 advertising framework as the mainland. Anyone opening an online casino from Tenerife, Gran Canaria or Lanzarote, whether they live locally or are visiting and using hotel or apartment Wi-Fi, is covered by the same system.
For the tourism-driven economy of the Canary Islands, the goal is a consistent and predictable promotional environment. What people are likely to notice is not new restrictions but small changes in how offers are presented.
Enforcement trends give an idea of the approach. Since a 2021 reform made sanctions public, Spain has issued more than 200 penalties to online operators, with total fines close to €111 million. In 2025 alone, penalties exceeded €30 million for issues such as unlicensed activity or non-compliant advertising.
The expectation is that online casino promotions will feel more structured and clearly signposted across the islands.
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