Spain’s Gambling Ad Ban Cut New Users but Not Total Bets

Spain’s tough restrictions on gambling ads and bonuses appear to have made a lasting impact on the country’s online betting industry. A new study from the Harm Reduction Journal, released on June 13, reveals a sharp drop in new player accounts since these rules took effect—alongside noticeable shifts in spending and user behavior.

Good to know

• New gambling accounts dropped by more than 50% between 2020 and 2023.
• Spain banned welcome bonuses, celebrity endorsements, and YouTube ads.
• Some key restrictions were overturned by Spain’s Supreme Court in 2024.

The number of newly opened online gambling accounts in Spain fell from 3.01 million in 2020 to just 1.35 million in 2023. That 55% decline came after the Spanish government rolled out a set of strict advertising and bonusing rules known as the Royal Decree. Measures were introduced gradually from November 2020 through August 2021, including a ban on welcome bonuses, sponsorship deals, and most forms of public advertising.

The biggest drop occurred in 2022, when account sign-ups fell to 1.37 million from 2.61 million the year before. That year alone saw a 35% decline. For comparison, the years before the decree had shown consistent growth in new user registrations.

Gambling Ads Fell While Deposits and Betting Continued to Rise

While fewer new users joined, the overall gambling spend in Spain actually went up. Player deposits increased from €2.19 billion in 2020 to €3.18 billion by 2023. The total amount bet also rose from €20.75 billion to €26.5 billion in that same timeframe. The only dip was in 2022, when betting fell slightly to €25.25 billion from €25.33 billion in 2021.

Still, the research suggests the total activity fell short of what would have been expected without the restrictions. For example, the second quarter of 2021 saw 263,000 fewer new accounts than projected, even after accounting for COVID-19 effects.

Advertising and sponsorship spending followed the same downward trend. Marketing budgets dropped from €193.7 million in 2020 to €116.5 million in 2022, before recovering slightly in 2023. Sponsorship spending collapsed from €25.76 million to just €2.67 million over the same period. Bonuses also saw cuts, falling from €189.5 million to €165.9 million between 2020 and 2023.

In April 2024, the Spanish Supreme Court overturned several elements of the Royal Decree. Operators are now allowed to target new customers again, use celebrities in their ads, and promote on platforms like YouTube. These reversals followed an appeal by the Spanish Digital Gaming Association. Not long after that, Spain announced new rules in place for influencers and social media.

The long-term impact of these changes remains to be seen. But the study shows that strict advertising limits were effective in reducing user acquisition, even if they did not slow the total amount of money being wagered.

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