Spain’s 17 Autonomous Communities Submit Joint Document Defending Land-Based Gambling Authority

Spain’s 17 autonomous communities have signed a joint document defending their authority to regulate land-based gambling venues amid concerns over the Directorate-General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ). The document was submitted to the DGOJ and the Gambling Policy Council on Sept. 7, following discussions among all regional administrations that began on July 14.

The initiative is led by Ramón Cubián, Madrid’s Director-General for Land. Cubián described the text as a working document rather than a political statement, as reported by Yogonet International.

Regional Responsibilities and Daily Oversight

Cubián told AZAR Plus: “With all 17 autonomous communities present, we drew up proposals which we then circulated, incorporating contributions from several autonomous communities into a consolidated text.”

He continued: “We have not produced a political text; we have produced a working document defending freedom and the powers of the autonomous communities.”

Cubián said regional governments handle day-to-day supervision of gambling businesses and protection of vulnerable people. “The autonomous communities are the authorities dealing with these matters every day. We have the daily responsibility to guarantee freedom of enterprise, freedom of leisure and protection for vulnerable people,” he said.

“This is not simply about insisting that ‘this is my competence’. It is the autonomous communities that protect vulnerable people within their territories, because that is our responsibility.”

The dispute followed discussions after the 2025 Gambling Policy Council. The DGOJ had proposed assuming a coordinating role over protections for vulnerable customers in land-based gambling. Cubián noted that each autonomous community has distinct political, economic, social and business realities, including differing numbers of gambling venues and ways of life.

Coordination, Protections and Outstanding Questions

The joint document seeks assurances that national reforms preserve regional powers over licensing and conditions for land-based venues. It calls for regional participation in decisions affecting land-based gambling, including potential future retail distribution forms.

“We ask that these matters be analysed with everyone participating, including within the Gambling Policy Council, so that there is coordination between the state and the autonomous communities,” Cubián said.

The DGOJ and Ministry of Consumer Affairs are separately developing common protection standards. These include a universal deposit-limit system with a €600 ($686.95) daily limit across licensed online operators, a common algorithm to identify gambling harms and risky behaviour, and separate reporting of players aged under 21.

Stakeholders have expressed concern about the lack of detailed technical documents for key projects first presented in 2023. Businesses seek clarity on data requirements, system integration, risk indicators, intervention procedures, delivery schedules and operational obligations. Cubián backed stronger safeguards against identity theft in online gambling and greater institutional cooperation.

The regions’ unified position makes clear that effective national policy must account for local differences rather than impose top-down coordination.

Reporting: Yogonet International

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