Spain’s Autonomous Communities Seek Greater Control Over Land-Based Gambling Regulation

Spain’s 17 autonomous communities have jointly defended their regulatory responsibilities over land-based gambling and called for greater regional participation in national decisions affecting the sector. The position was set out in a joint document submitted on 7 September 2026 to the Directorate-General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) and the Gambling Policy Council.

The document concerns the division of responsibilities between Spain’s central government and its autonomous communities, particularly in relation to land-based gambling venues, licensing and the conditions applicable to gambling businesses operating within each territory. The regional governments have expressed concern that an expanded coordinating role at national level could affect powers currently exercised by the autonomous communities.

Discussions between the autonomous communities on the issue began on 14 July 2026. The resulting document brings together the position of all 17 regional administrations and addresses the respective responsibilities of national and regional authorities in the regulation and supervision of land-based gambling.

The autonomous communities maintain responsibility for gambling activities conducted within their respective territories where the activity falls within regional jurisdiction. Spanish gambling law distinguishes between state-level and autonomous-community-level activity. According to the DGOJ, gambling is considered state-level when it takes place throughout Spain or across several autonomous communities in circumstances where the portion attributable to each community cannot be determined. Where activity takes place within a single autonomous community, or where the relevant portion attributable to each community can be determined, the corresponding regional regulatory framework applies.

The regional authorities' position therefore concerns the existing distribution of regulatory powers rather than the creation of a separate national licensing framework for land-based gambling. Their joint document calls for decisions affecting regional gambling markets to be considered through the Gambling Policy Council, which provides an institutional mechanism for cooperation between the Spanish Government and the autonomous communities.

The Gambling Policy Council was established under Spain’s Gambling Regulation Act 13/2011 as the body responsible for participation and coordination between the state and autonomous communities in gambling matters. Its membership includes the regional ministers responsible for gambling together with an equal number of representatives of the central government. The DGOJ provides the council's permanent secretariat.

The council's responsibilities include cooperation on regulatory matters and the possibility of developing proposals concerning the convergence of legal and tax regimes, as well as advertising, sponsorship and promotional rules applicable to gambling activities and operators across Spain. Its work is therefore intended to provide a mechanism for coordination while recognising the respective competences of the state and autonomous communities.

The regional governments' latest position specifically addresses land-based gambling venues and their supervision. The autonomous communities argue that their responsibilities include the licensing and oversight of gambling establishments operating within their territories and that decisions concerning these venues should continue to involve the regional administrations.

The issue also concerns measures relating to the protection of people participating in gambling activities. The regional authorities have stated that they are responsible for implementing and supervising measures within their territories and that differences between regions should be taken into account when regulatory measures are developed.

Those differences include the number and type of gambling venues, the structure of local gambling markets and the regulatory conditions established by individual autonomous communities. The joint position calls for these territorial differences to be considered when national measures affecting land-based gambling are discussed.

The developments come as Spain continues to document the different regulatory frameworks operating across its autonomous communities and cities. In July 2026, the DGOJ published its 2025 Activity Report on Gambling in Spain with, for the first time, an annex providing a consolidated overview of the main gambling regulations applicable in each autonomous community and autonomous city.

The annex includes information on the gambling modalities authorised in each territory, regional regulations and registers of persons who have self-excluded from gambling. The DGOJ said the material was prepared jointly with the autonomous communities and cities over a two-year coordination process within the Gambling Policy Council.

The publication illustrates the coexistence of state and regional regulatory frameworks in Spain. While the DGOJ is responsible for gambling activities falling within the state-level framework, autonomous communities retain regulatory responsibilities for gambling activities falling within their respective territorial competences.

This distinction is also reflected in Spain's licensing structure for online gambling. State-level operators providing non-occasional gambling activities covered by the national framework must obtain the relevant licences from the DGOJ. General licences cover categories including betting, contests and other games, while specific licences are required for individual types of games falling within the relevant general licence.

General gambling licences issued under the national framework have a duration of 10 years and may be renewed for an equivalent period. Specific licences have a minimum duration of one year and a maximum of five years, with the possibility of successive renewals for equivalent periods. Applicants must satisfy legal, financial, technical, security, responsible-gambling and anti-money-laundering requirements.

The national licensing framework also imposes technical and operational requirements on licensed operators, including player identification, controls concerning prohibited participants, technical-system security, traceability of gambling transactions and the operation of internal control systems. Licensed operators are also required to cooperate with authorities responsible for preventing money laundering in accordance with applicable legislation.

Land-based gambling, however, remains an area in which regional regulatory frameworks play a significant role. The DGOJ's consolidated 2025 regulatory annex was specifically introduced to provide a single reference point for the differences between the gambling rules applicable in the various territories.

The joint document submitted in September therefore seeks to maintain the involvement of the autonomous communities in future decisions affecting land-based gambling and to use the Gambling Policy Council as the forum for coordination between regional and national authorities. The document does not itself change the allocation of regulatory powers or introduce new licensing requirements.

The discussions also form part of a broader process of cooperation between the DGOJ and the autonomous communities. The Gambling Policy Council held its 2026 plenary session on 23 June, when it approved the 2025 Activity Report on Gambling in Spain. The council continues to provide the formal structure through which national and regional administrations coordinate on gambling regulation, technical matters, registers and studies.

At present, Spain therefore continues to operate with a combination of national and autonomous-community gambling rules, with the applicable framework depending in part on the territorial scope of the gambling activity. The latest joint regional position concerns the preservation of autonomous-community participation in decisions relating to land-based gambling and the use of the existing Gambling Policy Council to coordinate future measures between the two levels of government.

By fLEXI tEAM