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As part of our Gambling Laws of the World podcast, we recorded a new episode with my DLA Piper colleagues Paula Gonzalez (Madrid) and Kaat Scheerlinck (Brussels), drilling into the most urgent developments around gambling law in Spain and Belgium.
Below is a summary of what we discussed and the link to the episode, enjoy it!
Why focus on gambling law in Spain and Belgium right now?
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Tougher advertising rules.
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Spain’s Royal Decree on commercial communications continues to evolve after several provisions were annulled by the Supreme Court, yet the DGOJ is tightening practical guidance.
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Belgium imposed a near-total advertising ban in stages beginning July 2023, with an even stricter phase taking effect on 1 January 2025.
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Enforcement and litigation momentum.
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Spain issued record fines—around €77 million in 2024—and is signalling sharper oversight of licensed brands.
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In Belgium, lawsuits are emerging on issues from loot-box liability to deposit-limit violations, keeping both land-based and online operators on alert.
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Escalating player-protection measures.
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Spain’s draft Safe Gambling Program 2026-2030 promises tighter affordability and harm-reduction tools.
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Belgium already enforces hard weekly deposit caps and enhanced KYC triggers, with further tweaks on the policy agenda.
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What you’ll hear in the episode
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Advertising compliance playbooks
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Paula breaks down Spain’s revised ad rules and the knock-on effects for sponsorship deals and welcome offers.
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Kaat maps Belgium’s phased ban and the narrow carve-outs that still allow limited brand visibility.
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The new wave of player-operator disputes
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We examine Spain’s early class-action style tactics by consumer associations.
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Kaat dissects Belgian litigation around loot boxes and how tougher deposit-limit enforcement could trigger compensation claims.
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Future-proofing your EU strategy
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How Spain’s upcoming licence renewals and potential tax tweaks could shift ROI calculations.
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Whether Belgium’s regulators will stabilise after the current reforms—or double-down with extra controls.
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Three quick take-aways
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Legal risk now combines licence scrutiny, public enforcement, and private lawsuits.
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Marketing has flipped from a growth lever to a high-stakes compliance exercise—local nuances matter.
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Operators that invest early in affordability checks and data-driven RG controls will be best placed to navigate both regulators and courts.
Listen to the full conversation in the podcast episode for deeper insight into gambling law developments in Spain and Belgium and practical tips for staying ahead of the regulatory curve. You can access to the episode HERE. Also, don’t miss our DLA Piper’s gambling laws of the world guide available HERE and other articles on gambling laws available HERE