Spain has introduced new technical requirements for gambling advertising warnings across digital and audiovisual formats. Under the DGOJ resolution published in the Official State Gazette, banners, pop-ups and certain video-platform ads must display the prescribed warning across the full width and at least 15% of the creative’s height.
Display ad banners and pop-ups must dedicate at least 15% of their height to the required warning band.
The warning must extend across the full width of applicable advertising creatives.
Gambling-harm messaging will replace the previous general responsible gambling message.
Advertising must also carry the standardised warning that gambling is restricted to people aged 18 and over.
The resolution takes effect 60 days after publication.
Advertising contracts signed before publication receive a three-month transition period.
The resolution introduces three gambling-harm messages that operators will use depending on the medium and campaign format.
They state that gambling addiction is a risk of gambling, that the probability of being a player who loses money is 75%, and that total player losses exceed winnings fourfold. Ads must also direct consumers to the DGOJ’s Juego Seguro website where the medium permits it.
Translated from the Spanish wording required for regulated communications, the resolution said
Gambling addiction is a risk of gambling,
The new approach replaces the broader message encouraging consumers to gamble responsibly. That shift aligns with Spain’s 2026 to 2030 player safety programme, which places greater emphasis on harm prevention, early intervention and operator responsibility rather than relying primarily on individual player behaviour.
For operators, affiliates and advertising agencies, the most immediate impact is creative production.
Display advertising, banners, pop-ups and clearly separable commercial communications on video-sharing services must keep the warning band visible throughout the commercial message. Operators’ and affiliates’ websites and apps also face dedicated display requirements, with warning content occupying at least 15% of the visible area for at least five seconds or until users close it.
Audiovisual advertising follows a related framework. Gambling-harm messaging must be delivered orally at the end of the advertisement for at least two seconds. Where the under-18 warning is displayed graphically rather than spoken, it must also cover 100% of the width and at least 15% of the advertisement’s height.
The new warning specifications add another layer to Spain’s expanding player-protection framework, which already includes cross-operator deposit limits for online gambling.
The resolution becomes effective 60 days after publication, placing the new requirements into effect from 5 December 2026. Advertising contracts concluded before the resolution was published can continue for three months without immediately adapting their creatives.
That transition will require operators and marketing partners to review active campaigns, templates, affiliate materials and platform-specific ad formats. The impact could be particularly relevant in a market where Spanish operators continue to invest heavily in advertising and affiliate marketing.
For B2B stakeholders, the significance goes beyond adding another disclaimer. Spain is prescribing the exact visibility, positioning and relative size of consumer-protection messaging, turning safer gambling communication into a measurable creative compliance requirement.
Operators running campaigns across multiple channels will therefore need to ensure media buying and localisation processes account for the new specifications before the transition periods expire.
