Mikel Arana, Director General of the Directorate General of the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ), revealed at the Gaming in Spain Conference that very few of the country’s operators are implementing the detection systems mandated under the Royal Decree that governs gambling in Spain.
“We have seen that from 50 operators, around 38 have [no] risky players, which is hard to believe,” he explained.
Arana offered a behind-the-scenes insight into the responsible gambling algorithm that will step in to lead Spain’s player protection evolution, revealing the extensive picture being painted of players who engage with gambling in the country.
The data-driven tool is designed to be applied universally across Spain’s operators – as part of a strengthened approach to player protection
“The goal is to define an algorithm capable of distinguishing between two groups of players, regular players and risky players,” explained Arana. “To this end, we requested the authorisation of 506 individuals with a medical diagnosis of gambling disorder, whose complete gambling histories were available at the DGOJ.”
Following the analysis, the DGOJ was able to identify nine distinct groups of players and 81 variables that indicated problem gambling behaviours.
For example, some players spent significant amounts of time thinking about gambling even after placing themselves on a self-exclusion register. Meanwhile, others displayed trends of repeated deposits following losses.
At present, the DGOJ believes the algorithm is 80% accurate in correctly identifying risky players.
Ahead of finalisation, and boosted by a recently announced €1m research grant, the organisation is working with experts to validate the model and improve the system. Once complete, which is expected to be in March 2026, the use of the algorithm will be mandatory for all operators in the Spanish market.
When questioned, Arana confirmed that the identification of a risky player does not mean that they will be automatically prevented from gambling. Instead, depending on player behaviour, operators will be required to undertake actions such as contacting the player about their behaviour and not sending promotions to that player.
Sweeping regulatory changes
Alongside the government-backed algorithm, operators in Spain are also facing reforms of advertising restrictions and cross-platform deposit limits.
Currently, Spain enforces per-operator deposit limits of €600 daily, €1,500 weekly and €3,000 monthly. However, proposals are seeking to change this so that the limits are calculated across all the accounts a player uses.
In light of the changes, industry experts have warned that such stringent measures must be complemented by an efficient player experience to keep the market more competitive and stop players migrating to the black market.
