Gaming conference opens in Madrid amid legal fights over Spanish reforms
The event comes as operators challenge new deposit limits and a snap election adds uncertainty to gambling reforms.
MADRID · The 2026 Gaming in Spain Conference opens in Madrid on Thursday, October 15, bringing together regulators, operators and legal experts as the country's gambling industry faces major regulatory changes and political uncertainty. The conference will feature presentations from key stakeholders, including Mikel Arana, the director general of Spain's gambling regulator DGOJ, and Jorge Hinojosa, the director general of trade association Jdigital. Spain's regulated iGaming industry is currently facing a series of far-reaching regulatory reforms, including the implementation of cross-operator deposit limits and a central DGOJ-mandated problem gambling detection algorithm. Spanish-licensed operators, represented by Jdigital, recently announced judicial proceedings against the government's plans to introduce cross-operator deposit limits. Operators also signaled a refusal to cooperate with the government's current plans to overhaul the country's Gambling Act. The current government had also announced fundamental amendments to Spain's Gambling Act for the longer term.
Political upheaval has added another layer of uncertainty to the industry's future. While the industry was expecting that the present government would not return to power after the 2027 parliamentary elections, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanches unexpectedly called snap elections for November 29. The move followed widespread protests over housing shortages and the opposition's refusal to support the government's attempts to address the ongoing housing crisis. The conference agenda includes other speakers such as Justo Sancho, the director of safe gambling for the DGOJ, David Calvete Sarasa, a chief inspector with the National Police, and Xavi Munoz Bellvehí, the managing partner of ECIJA Barcelona. The event is being held at the Auditorio ECIJA in Madrid. The political situation raises questions about whether the current government will return for another term and have more time to implement its announced gambling reforms.