The Spanish Law That Stopped New Gamblers, but Not the Game
Published: June 29, 2025 | Author: Ron Clarke
At Casin.com, the leading online casino portal, we’re always keeping an eye on the most interesting developments in the world of online gambling. So when we came across a new Spanish study looking at what actually happened after the country cracked down on gambling ads, we had to dig in. The results? Surprising, revealing, and definitely worth a look.
A few years ago, Spain introduced some of the toughest gambling ad restrictions in Europe. Ads on TV and radio were banned outside the early morning hours. Celebrities were no longer allowed to promote betting sites. And flashy sign-up bonuses were taken off the table. Now, a new study -published in the Harm Reduction Journal and based on official data from Spain’s Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ), shows what actually happened. And it’s more interesting than you might think.
Between 2021 and 2023, the number of new online gambling accounts in Spain dropped from 2.6 million to 1.35 million. That’s a big drop. But according to researchers, the law itself was responsible for cutting about 326,000 of those accounts. In other words, fewer people started gambling online once the ads disappeared.
When it comes to how much people bet, things are a bit more complicated. Total money wagered did increase, from €25.3 billion in 2021 to €26.5 billion in 2023. But without the law, the increase would have been even bigger. The study estimates that around €232 million less was wagered than expected, because of the advertising ban.
An interesting change was in how much companies were spending to attract players. Before the ban, operators were spending about €142 million on advertising, €168 million on bonuses, and €8.9 million on sponsorships. After the new rules came in, advertising dropped by €20 million, bonuses by €2.6 million, and sponsorships by €5.3 million. That’s a clear sign the industry pulled back on marketing after the rules kicked in.
But here’s the twist: the number of active players kept growing. Even with less advertising, people who were already gambling didn’t stop. In fact, active accounts rose from just under 1 million in 2021 to over 1.16 million in 2023.
So what does that tell us? Basically, the new rules worked to keep new players out, but they didn’t stop existing gamblers from continuing to play. For many in the industry, this shows that marketing is key to attracting first-time users—but once they’re in, they tend to stick around.
Other countries have gone down similar paths. Italy banned almost all gambling ads in 2019, but operators still find ways to promote themselves, sometimes through connected news sites or sponsorship loopholes. Belgium and the Netherlands followed with strict bans in 2023, especially around sports. Meanwhile, the UK is under pressure to do the same, but has yet to pass serious restrictions.
Australia is moving in that direction too. A recent government report recommended banning online gambling ads during sporting events and phasing them out completely over a few years.
Back in Spain, not everyone was happy with the new law. In 2024, the country’s Supreme Court actually overturned some parts of it, saying there wasn’t enough proof the restrictions were justified. Ironically, the study now offers exactly that proof.
The takeaway? Cutting gambling ads works, especially if you want to stop new players from jumping in. But if the goal is to get regular players to slow down, it’s going to take more than a few restrictions on TV and bonus offers.
