The Royal Decree was the headline measure of former Minister of Consumer Affairs, Alberto Garzon, who in 2020 was appointed by Spain’s PSOE-coalition government to oversee the federal reform of Spanish gambling laws.
Drafted in November 2020, the Decree’s restrictions limited advertising for betting houses and games of chance to the early morning hours of 1-to-5 am across all media platforms.
Furthermore, from 2022 onwards, the Decree imposed a blanket ban on all forms of gambling sponsorships in professional sports (excluding state lotteries), with substantial fines for non-compliance.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs was challenged by the trade bodies of Jdigital, Spain’s online gambling trade association, and the Information Media Association (AMI), who questioned the federal applicat..