Over 56,000 people have registered with Registro General de Interdicciones de Acceso al Juego (RGIAJ), created by Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ) in 2015. This number represents a 12.02% increase compared to last year.
The region of Andalusia, Spain’s most populous region, accounts for 24.5% of self-exclusions, with a 7.1% growth in new registrations. The capital city Madrid and its surrounding area come in second at 17.0%, growing by 13.1%.
The Balearic Islands autonomous community experienced the greatest growth in registrations, with a 56.9% increase to 1,183.
Spain’s Ministry for Consumer Affairs has announced plans to tighten gambling regulations, including enforcing advertising restrictions implemented in 2020 and making changes to regulatory fees. The RGIAJ currently only displays data for online gambling self-exclusions at a national level, with the exception of the Castilla-La Mancha region.
Efforts are underway to improve coordination between central government, the autonomous communities (CCAA), and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla regarding problem gambling policies. Last September, an agreement was reached to interconnect the exclusion registers, a measure praised by online gaming association JDigital.
JDigital, comprising more than 80% of licensed igaming operators in Spain, has expressed willingness to share their expertise and cooperate with the government to protect users effectively.
