Spain’s autonomous communities are pushing back against what they see as an overreach by the national gambling regulator, creating a significant rift in the country’s gambling governance structure.
The dispute was brought into public focus at the Expo Congress of Madrid, where regional governments outlined their grievances with the Directorate-General for the Regulation of Gambling, known as the DGOJ.
At the heart of the conflict is the concern that the DGOJ is encroaching on licensing powers and rule applications that regional administrations believe fall within their own jurisdiction.
The challenge is being led by Ramón Cubián, Madrid’s Director-General for Land and the official with direct responsibility for gambling matters in the capital’s regional government.
Cubián outlined the terms of a formal document submitted to the DGOJ, sharing his comments with Spanish news source AZAR Plus following the congress.
That document was submitted to the DGOJ and the Gambling Policy Council on 7 September, after discussions involving all 17 regional administrations that had begun on 14 July.
The broad participation across all 17 regions is notable, as Cubián emphasised the agreement brought together governments with different political priorities around a shared defence of regional responsibilities.
The central fear among the autonomous communities is that a coordinating role for the DGOJ could gradually extend into directing responsibilities already formally assigned to regional bodies.
Cubián argued that regional powers are directly connected to the practical, day-to-day supervision of gambling businesses and the protection of customers across their territories.
“The autonomous communities are the authorities dealing with these matters every day. We have the daily responsibility to guarantee freedom of enterprise, freedom of leisure and protection for vulnerable people,” he stated.
Cubián was equally direct in dismissing any suggestion that this dispute is merely a territorial argument over bureaucratic competence between layers of government.
“This is not simply about insisting that ‘this is my competence’. It is the autonomous communities that protect vulnerable people within their territories, because that is our responsibility,” he added.
The dispute highlights a broader tension within Spain’s gambling regulatory framework, where national oversight and regional autonomy have long existed in a delicate balance.
With all 17 regional administrations aligned on the matter, the DGOJ faces a unified front from communities spanning different political parties and governing philosophies.
How the national regulator responds to the formal document submitted in September is likely to shape the future structure of gambling oversight across Spain for years to come.
