Spain’s licensed operators face the prospect of even tighter regulation, after the government moved to reinstate its extensive restrictions on gambling advertising. 

The latest push from the country is to reintroduce limits on welcome bonuses, despite a previous Supreme Court ruling overturning similar measures.

Speaking on episode 576 of the iGaming Daily Podcast, SBC trio Fernando Noodt Molins, Damian Martinez and Tom Nightingale, joined together to reflect on the latest news regarding Spain, considering how other countries are managing regulation in a similar way, in South America as well as Canada.

Findings from Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and the 2030 Agenda stated that total player numbers in Spain were up following the reintroduction of welcome bonuses. 

The gaming industry has always had a tense relationship with the administration in the country and it is something that may lead to new regulation soon. 

Martinez said: “The authorities are explaining that these bonuses, which are used as incentives to attract new players, were banned until April 2024, and since then the number of players has grown significantly.

“The government has always had an eye for the online gaming market, but if this is approved, the ban will cement Spain as one of the toughest European countries for trading companies, from a marketing perspective.”

Ontario’s cautious yet competitive model is held up as a successful example of balancing regulation and operator growth and given their strong focus on strength of the product and services rather than the welcome offer, they offer a potential framework to emulate. 

Nightingale stated: “Ontario has proven itself to be a hugely lucrative and competitive market … 50 operators, 85 licensed websites, all competing for market share.

“Ontario’s regulator said from day one, we don’t want a situation like the US where people are inundated with ‘free money’ offers.

“Operators have to compete on the strength of their product and services really, rather than who’s offering the biggest pile of money. You can only use athletes in marketing for the specific purpose of advertising your responsible gambling measures.”

The likes of Argentina, Chile and a number of US states are either exploring or already implementing stricter ad regulations. Advertising could well be curtailed in such areas.

As said by Martinez: “Argentina is discussing a bill that bans all gambling advertising … social media, public spaces, media outlets, even stadiums.”

In addition, Nightingale continued to explore the landscape of the other nations. “In the US, gambling advertising and marketing comes up every single year in terms of potential regulatory changes.

“There are currently federal level discussions going on – the Safe Bet Act proposes a blanket ban on gambling advertising.

“In Canada, there’s talk about introducing federal oversight of advertising because it’s seen as such an issue and so pervasive.”