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Cejuego, the Spanish employers’ association representing private gambling operators, has voiced “deep concern” over the government’s recent regulatory actions, accusing authorities of using “intrusive amendments” to impose new restrictions on the sector through legislation unrelated to gambling.
Alejandro Landaluce, Cejuego’s director general, criticized the inclusion of gambling-related changes within the Customer Service Bill, describing it as a text that “has no connection whatsoever” to the gambling industry. He argued that this approach prevents proper public and parliamentary debate on substantial reforms.
“We are concerned that the government intends to introduce regulatory changes through intrusive amendments,”
Landaluce said, adding that reforms of this magnitude should be pursued transparently and with input from all stakeholders.
The controversy arises as the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs, and Agenda 2030, led by Pablo Bustinduy, advances several legislative initiatives affecting gambling. These include new rules on loot boxes and a review of Royal Decree 958/2020 governing gambling advertising.
Cejuego claims the most recent amendment, intended to reinstate previously annulled provisions of the decree, was submitted just 15 minutes before the registration deadline. This, the association says, left insufficient time for other political groups to propose counter-amendments.
While Landaluce acknowledged that Spain’s gambling law, in place for over 15 years, requires updating, he stressed that revisions must be carried out with “rigor, transparency, and dialogue,” not through “legislative shortcuts that bypass necessary parliamentary and social debate.”
The association warned that the government’s current approach sets a troubling precedent. By introducing reforms piecemeal through unrelated bills, the process complicates technical review and parliamentary participation, undermines transparency, creates legal uncertainty, and erodes trust in a sector that has long advocated for a stable regulatory framework.
Cejuego emphasized that it is not opposing the modernization of gambling laws, but is calling for a structured and transparent legislative process that ensures legal certainty for operators and effectiveness for public policy.
Source: Tribuna
