Gaming in Spain Conference 2026 in Madrid: debate on deposit limits and a centralized algorithm

The Gaming in Spain Conference 2026 takes place in Madrid on Thursday 15 October 2026 and will bring together institutional representatives, operators and specialists to address the evolution of Spain’s online gambling regulatory framework. Confirmed speakers include Mikel Arana, Director General of the Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ); Justo Sancho, Director of Juego Seguro at the DGOJ; Jorge Hinojosa, Chief Executive of Jdigital; David Calvete Sarasa, Chief Inspector of the Policía Nacional; and Xavi Muñoz Bellvehí, managing partner at ECIJA Barcelona. The organisers have published the full programme on the official Gaming in Spain website.

## Agenda and focus of the conference on gambling regulation

The meeting will focus its agenda on the development of the Spanish regulatory framework for online gambling. The programme highlights topics including the possible introduction of harmonised deposit limits across operators, the development of a centralized algorithm to detect problem gambling behaviours and proposed changes to the Gambling Act. Sessions will bring together regulatory officials, industry representatives and legal experts to compare proposals and explain technical and operational impacts.

The role of the Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego will be prominent. Mikel Arana and Justo Sancho will speak to set out the regulator’s perspective and the DGOJ’s current lines of work on player protection and market supervision. On the industry side, Jdigital will participate with its chief executive, Jorge Hinojosa, to explain operators’ position on the regulatory initiatives.

## Harmonised deposit limits across operators: what will be discussed

One proposal on the agenda is the introduction of harmonised deposit limits across operators. The planned discussion will address the practical implications of applying uniform thresholds that would require different brands to respect the same cap for a single player, and the information-exchange obligations that would entail.

Panels will examine operational aspects: what responsibilities each operator would have, how technical coordination between platforms would be implemented and what audit and data-protection guarantees would be necessary. The programme contains no technical specifications or concrete figures for thresholds; the session aims to discuss design principles and limit options.

## Centralized algorithm to detect problem gambling

The development of a centralized algorithm appears as another axis of debate. The proposal put forward by regulatory and sector sources envisages a detection system that aggregates behavioural signals to identify problem-gambling risk more consistently across the regulated market.

The panel intends to address questions including the algorithm’s governance, the source and quality of data feeding the models and the criteria for triggering player-protection measures. The DGOJ will take part in the sessions to explain the regulatory framework that would have to accompany any centralized mechanism and the expected obligations for operators.

Reactions from the sector and operator opposition represented by Jdigital

Jdigital appears on the programme as the industry representative and will defend the operators’ position against regulatory initiatives that have caused friction with the Government. The event includes a space to explain the opposition certain operators have to concrete measures proposed by the Executive.

Pre-conference debates have raised regulatory and legal risks, and the conference aims to clarify the conflicting interests: control and protection versus operational cost and data-sharing requirements. Jdigital will set out its arguments in several panels and there will be time for technical and legal questions.

## Legal implications: the Gambling Act and reform timetable

The congress will also analyse possible impacts on the Gambling Act. Legal speakers, including Xavi Muñoz Bellvehí, managing partner at ECIJA Barcelona, will debate the normative options available and how measures such as deposit limits and centralized systems could be fitted into the existing legal framework.

The programme devotes a session to the reform timetable and to the consequences of the political situation for its processing. No concrete regulatory changes are announced during the conference; the aim of the presentations is to explain legal and operational scenarios and to set out the steps that future regulatory proposals could entail.

## Security and compliance: participation of the Policía Nacional

The presence of David Calvete Sarasa, chief inspector of the Policía Nacional, will introduce the enforcement and compliance dimension. His intervention will cover collaboration between law enforcement and the regulator to monitor compliance with the rules and respond to potentially illicit conduct related to online gambling.

The agenda foresees sessions in which interoperability between supervisory systems and channels for cooperation in investigation and sanctioning will be discussed.

## Logistics and access to the programme

The event organisers have published the full programme on the official Gaming in Spain website, where they detail times, rooms and the schedule of presentations. Attendees will be able to follow debates focused on regulation and compliance, as well as the technical responses required by operators and suppliers.

The conference is a key date for those who follow gambling regulation in Spain: it will feature participation by the DGOJ, industry representatives and legal and police officials. For operators and suppliers it will be an opportunity to learn first-hand about regulatory priorities and the friction points the sector will need to manage in coming months.

"The meeting in Madrid brings together the different stakeholders involved to debate the regulatory evolution of online gambling in Spain," the organisers said when presenting the programme.

"Operators and the regulator must confront technical and legal options to advance player-protection measures," explained one of the event’s briefing notes.