DGOJ to require gambling addiction warnings in advertisements
The Spanish regulator approved the technical specifications for health warning messages to replace the classic slogan of "responsible gaming." The resolution defines strict formats for size, contrast, and content for commercial communications and the prohibition of access to minors.
The Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) has taken a definitive step in implementing the new consumer protection paradigm in Spain. Through an official resolution, the regulator has established that licensed operators must obligatorily include explicit messages in their promotions about the harmful effects derived from gambling addiction or risky behavior.
This regulation will practically replace the generic message of "play responsibly" with a more severe warning, aiming to raise awareness and control over the consequences that chance can have on vulnerable profiles.
Technical Specifications and Visibility
The resolution is not limited to the message content but strictly regulates the form, size, layout, and contrast of the warnings. This measure seeks to prevent the notices from being relegated to a secondary role or becoming illegible against advertising creativity.
According to the DGOJ, the decision to replace the previous slogan responds to the need to avoid information saturation. The regulator considers that the accumulation of multiple warnings could be ineffective or even contradictory for the user, thus opting for a single, direct message aligned with the Royal Decree 176/2023 on safer gaming environments.
Principles of Safe Gaming and Protection of Minors
The regulation is based on two main pillars of the Spanish legal framework:
- Principle of Safe Gaming (Art. 10.4): Enables the authority to impose messages about damages derived from the pathology as a public health measure.
- Protection of Minors (Art. 11): Confirms the obligation to clearly include the prohibition of participation by minors under 18 years old in any gaming activity.
Impact on Operators
With this resolution, companies in the sector in Spain will have to update all their creative pieces, from digital banners to radio and television spots, to comply with the new technical standards of the DGOJ. This change reinforces the regulator’s trend of "visual oversight," which seeks to make the risk associated with gaming as visible as the commercial offer, in a scheme similar to other industries such as tobacco or alcohol.
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