Spain’s DGOJ Issues €140m in Fines in 2024
In 2024, Spain’s gambling regulator, the General Directorate for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ), issued fines totaling more than €142 million to online betting and gaming operators.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:The penalties imposed in the second half of the year were slightly higher than the first, with 26 operators receiving a total fine of €77 million. Fourteen of the penalized operators were foreign companies operating in Spain without required licenses.
Under Spanish gambling violations, it is illegal and considered a serious offense to operate a gambling business in Spain without the required license.
In addition to the fines, the operators were ordered to close their websites in Spain and are banned from operating in the jurisdiction for two years.
Curacao-Licensed Companies Fined
The DGOJ published the details in a press release on its website on Tuesday. The report includes the names of the 14 banned offshore operators: Wot NV, Magicwin Games Tech LTD, Winbet NV, Spicyjackpots Games Tech LTS, Lama Tech Limited, Techsolutuons Group, and more.
All 13 companies on the list were fined €5 million, except Techsolutions Group NV, which was fined €10 million for being a repeat offender.
According to the DGOJ, most of the operators lack valid licenses, while three, including Techsolutions, hold licenses issued in Curacao.
However, Curacao licenses are not recognized in Spain, and operators holding them must obtain a separate license from the DGOJ to legally offer their services to Spanish residents. To be eligible for a license, operators must be based within the European Economic Area (EEA).
More Regulation News
Crackdown on Unlicensed Gambling
Based on the recent DGOJ data, the regulator has now imposed fines worth €475 million from 2021 to 2024.
The substantial fines are part of the DGOJ’s efforts to clamp down on unlicensed gambling operators and protect Spanish players.
To ensure responsible gambling, the government also enforces stringent regulations on gambling advertising. For example, celebrities are banned from promoting gambling companies. Promotions or bonus offers can only be advertised to registered users, and can’t be publicly broadcast.
Additionally, gambling ads on TV and radio are only permitted between 1 am and 5 am.
RELATED TOPICS: Regulation
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