Spain issues nearly €65.4 million in fines to online gambling sector in H1
The ministry flagged 13 unlicensed online gambling operators for “very serious infringements” of Spain’s gambling laws. Interactive Pro, Stars Cream, Loveca Sino, Rougeca Sino, Mountberg, Alimanieri, Goldenpharaoh, Goldenlion, Golden Genie, Bigwins Games Tech, Games & More, Gladiator Holding and R.Bostock Enterprises were each ordered to pay a €5 million fine.
“These resolutions account for the majority of the [fines] claimed by the ministry and have also led to the disqualification of the operators for a period of two years,” the ministry said.
Licensed operators also sanctioned in Spain
Codere Online, which has a licence in Spain, was also among those fined by gambling regulator the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ). On 25 April the DGOJ sent a letter to the operator, flagging a Facebook ad it believed appealed to minors.
As this was in breach of the country’s gambling marketing regulations the operator was ordered to pay a €162,500 fine.
In November 2020, Spain introduced a host of strict marketing restrictions for the industry, including banning sponsorship deals with operators and restricting online ads so they are only seen by those following operator social media accounts.
These efforts were intended to protect minors from viewing gambling ads but the industry hit back at the measures as hugely damaging for operators.
In April, the Supreme Court overturned some of these restrictions, enabling operators to once again use influencer marketing and show advertising on video platforms like YouTube, however instructions against marketing appealing to minors remained in place.
A €225,000 fine was handed to another licensee in Electraworks for missing the deadlines set by the DGOJ for submitting technical requirement reports. The regulator said in a letter to the operator dated 21 March, it had repeatedly submitted these reports late in 2023. These had added up to 1,611 days of delay during the year.
The ministry said it has handed out €398 million worth of fines to the sector since 2021.