Trade body alleges selective reporting of gambling sanctions and warns of conflict of interest involving state-run lottery operator SELAE.
Spain’s leading gaming industry association, CeJuego, has issued a strong call for the resignation of Consumer Affairs Minister Pablo Bustinduy and DGOJ Director General Mikel Arana, accusing both officials of manipulating public data to damage the reputation of licensed private gambling operators.
The dispute centres on a Ministry of Consumer Affairs press release published on 25 November, which summarised fines issued to gambling operators in 2025. CeJuego argues the release omitted key information: penalties issued to the state-owned lottery operator, SELAE. Although a €126,000 fine against SELAE appeared in the DGOJ’s total figures, the public operator’s name was absent from the Ministry’s report.
CeJuego highlighted that SELAE was fined four times in December 2024 for permitting individuals on the self-exclusion register to gamble online—infractions the association says demonstrate lenient oversight applied to the state operator.
Director General Alejandro Landaluce said the selective disclosure “erodes the credibility” of Spain’s regulated gaming market.
The trade body also criticised the Ministry’s headline, which appeared to group unlicensed and licensed firms together, creating what CeJuego described as a “sensationalist” impression. While Betfair, 888, and Codere were named, the association noted that €30 million of the €33 million in total sanctions related to illegal offshore operators.
CeJuego plans to file a complaint with the National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC), arguing that the government acts as both regulator and competitor through SELAE. creating a conflict of interest that undermines fair competition.
Meanwhile, the DGOJ continues preparing major 2026 regulatory projects, including a centralised deposit-limit system and the rollout of an AI-driven responsible gambling algorithm designed to monitor player risk in real time.
