Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling

The General Directorate of Gaming Regulation is the body of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, under the General Secretary of Consumer Affairs and Gaming, which has the following competences:

1. The General Directorate for the Regulation of Gaming is the body in charge of exercising the functions of regulation, authorization, supervision, coordination, control and, if applicable, sanctioning, of the gaming activities at the state level.
2. The General Directorate for Gaming Regulation shall exercise the functions provided for in Article 66 of Law 40/2015, of 1 October, within the scope of its competences, and in the tenth additional provision of Law 3/2013, of 4 June, on the creation of the National Commission for Markets and Competition, corresponding to it, in particular, the following:
   • The authorization of the occasional gaming activities of state scope, as well as any aspect of the modalities and types of gaming subject to enabling title that requires specific authorization.
   • The proposal and analysis of the impact of the regulations related to the gaming activity at the state level.
   • The inspection of the gaming activities of state scope and of the technical systems used in the same, as well as the proposal for the initiation of sanctioning proceedings derived from said inspection.
   • The processing of the procedures for the request of enabling titles for the exercise of gaming activities of state scope.
   • The processing of the administrative sanctioning procedures in gaming matters in relation to the points of sale of the Sociedad Estatal Loterías y Apuestas del Estado, S.M.E., S.A. (State Company Lotteries and Bets).
   • Institutional relations with other bodies or organizations of the General State Administration, the Autonomous Communities and the Cities of Ceuta and Melilla, local corporations, international organizations and any other public institution, whether Spanish or foreign, with regulatory functions in gaming matters.
   • Institutional relations with any public or private entity in relation to the social or economic dimension of gaming.
   • The economic-financial management of the guarantees linked to the general gaming licenses.
   • The management of the material resources and infrastructures related to the electronic systems of supervision of the operators and of the relationship with the participants, operators and other public administrations.
   • To report, as mandatory, the authorization of lottery activities subject to reservation.
   • The processing of administrative sanctioning proceedings initiated for infractions contemplated in Law 13/2011, of May 27, on the regulation of gambling.
   • The prosecution of unauthorized illegal gambling, whether it is carried out within the Spanish State or from outside Spain and directed to the Spanish territory.
   • The requirement of information to entities, gaming operators, their service providers and participants in the games.
   • The requirement to any supplier of payment services, entities providing audiovisual communication services, information society services or electronic communications, and services or channels for the dissemination of advertising and promotion of games, of the cessation of the services they were providing.
   • The establishment of the technical and functional requirements of the games and the homologation of the technical systems of games.
   • The promotion and supervision of mechanisms for the relationship between the participants and the gaming operators and for the protection of the interests of the participants, including the processing of the claims that could be filed by the participants against the operators.
   • The promotion and realization of studies and research on gaming matters, as well as on its incidence or impact on society.
   • The supervision of the mechanisms and systems for the regulation of the advertising activity in the field of gambling at the state level.
   • The management of the Registers of the Gaming sector at state level.
   • Collaboration with the competent authorities in the prevention and control of fraud and the defense of integrity in gaming activities, and with other regulators of the European Economic Area in the persecution of illegal gaming.
   • The development and execution of preventive policies and actions aimed at raising awareness, information and dissemination of good gaming practices, orderly gaming and responsible gaming, by means of advertising campaigns, actions in the media and communication networks and collaboration with other Public Administrations or public or private organizations.
3. The General Directorate for Gaming Regulation shall be made up of the following bodies with the rank of Deputy Directorate General:
   • The General Sub-Directorate for Gaming Regulation, which is responsible for exercising the functions listed in paragraphs a), b), d), e), e), f), g), j), k), n), o), q), r) and t), of the preceding section.
   • The Subdirectorate General for Gaming Inspection, which is responsible for exercising the functions listed in paragraphs c), h), l), m), ñ), p) and s) of the preceding paragraph.
4. The National Commission to combat the manipulation of sports competitions and betting fraud and the Advisory Council for Responsible Gambling are attached to the General Directorate for the Regulation of Gambling.

Offline legislation: Legislation at province level.

Online legislation: https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2011/05/28/pdfs/BOE-A-2011-9280.pdf