Key Highlights
- The DGOJ has allocated €950,620 in research funding to investigate gambling-related harms, prevention strategies and associated risks
- Educational institutions, healthcare organizations and charitable groups may submit applications for initiatives extending until June 2027
- Funded studies must address at least one of six designated priority areas, from identifying at-risk gamblers to examining gaming-gambling convergence
- Spain’s regulator has simultaneously launched public feedback on prohibiting celebrity and social media personality gambling endorsements
- Data shows new digital gambling registrations in Spain plummeted 55% from 2020 to 2023 after previous advertising curbs
Spain’s gaming oversight authority has earmarked close to one million euros for investigating the detrimental effects of gambling. The Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) released the funding opportunity on May 20 through Spain’s official legislative publication.
The competitive funding initiative totals €950,620 and will support scientific investigations examining prevention measures, consequences and hazards associated with betting activities.
Eligibility Requirements and Mandatory Research Focus Areas
The grant opportunity welcomes applications from diverse institutional backgrounds. Both public and private academic institutions, healthcare facilities, charitable organizations and research development facilities may submit proposals.
Candidates must demonstrate documented experience conducting gambling-focused studies. Funded initiatives cannot commence before January 1, 2026 and must conclude by June 30, 2027.
The regulatory body has identified six specific research priorities that submissions must incorporate. These encompass early identification of problematic gambling patterns and the personal, familial or community-level damage resulting from wagering activities.
Additional priorities include creating intervention tools to minimize gambling’s harmful effects. The relationship between video gaming sectors and betting operations represents another critical investigation area.
The remaining priorities examine organizational structures within gambling enterprises and how problem gambling impacts different genders. Officials have emphasized the importance of gender-aware research, acknowledging that gambling consequences vary across demographic segments.
The DGOJ has intensified its commitment to gambling harm investigation in recent periods. Youth populations and the merging of gaming with gambling elements have emerged as primary regulatory concerns.
This past March, the DGOJ published its Safe Gambling Programme spanning 2026 through 2030. That strategic document highlighted concerns regarding loot box mechanisms, social casino applications and similar hybrid entertainment features that may normalize betting behaviors among underage and young adult populations.
Renewed Efforts to Limit Gambling Promotions
The research funding declaration arrived shortly after the DGOJ initiated another significant regulatory action. The authority launched public commentary proceedings on potential modifications to the Gambling Regulation Act.
A primary recommendation would strengthen restrictions governing celebrity and social media personality involvement in gambling promotions. According to the suggested amendments, betting advertisements would only be permissible when consumers actively seek out specific gambling brands through online searches.
Spain has established precedent for restricting gambling marketing. A 2020 Royal Decree prohibited gambling sponsorship arrangements and imposed substantial limitations on broadcast and radio advertisements, confining them to a narrow 1am to 5am time slot.
That decree initially prohibited public figures and digital content creators from participating in gambling marketing campaigns. Nevertheless, that particular provision was reversed in April 2024.
The DGOJ now seems intent on reintroducing that policy through the suggested legal modifications. The public commentary period allows industry participants to provide input before any regulations are finalized.
Studies released the previous summer demonstrated that Spain’s previous advertising limitations produced quantifiable results. New digital gambling registrations decreased by more than half following the 2020 Royal Decree implementation.
During 2020, Spain recorded 3.01 million new digital gambling account creations. By 2023, that figure had decreased to 1.35 million—a 55% reduction.
The substantial decline indicates that restricting gambling marketing can effectively reduce online gambling adoption rates. The DGOJ’s recent initiatives suggest the regulatory authority remains committed to this approach.
Get 3 Free Stock Ebooks
Discover top-performing stocks in AI, Crypto, and Technology with expert analysis.
- Top 10 AI Stocks - Leading AI companies
- Top 10 Crypto Stocks - Blockchain leaders
- Top 10 Tech Stocks - Tech giants
