Spain’s gambling regulator, the Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ), discussed illegal gambling enforcement with regulators from Cyprus, Greece and the Czech Republic at SiGMA World in Rome on 3 November, with prediction markets, mirror domains and payments on the agenda.
Mikel Arana, Director General of Gambling Regulation at the DGOJ, spoke on the panel “Europe’s Enforcement Era: Regulation Is Winning But At What Cost?” at Fiera Roma, the DGOJ said in a statement published the same day. The DGOJ sits within Spain’s Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and 2030 Agenda.
Illegal gambling enforcement in Europe
The four regulators compared the measures each uses against platforms offering online gambling without a licence, according to the DGOJ. The session covered how enforcement in Europe has developed, the results of supervision so far and the obstacles that remain.
Blocking access to unlicensed sites was one of the problems discussed. Payment methods, social media and mirror domains, which the DGOJ describes as websites that copy the look of licensed brands, were also on the list.
Prediction markets
The panel also raised prediction markets. The DGOJ said enforcement becomes harder when these platforms argue that their products are not gambling.
Spain has already acted on the issue: in May, Spain blocked Kalshi and Polymarket in a licensing crackdown.
Cooperation and cross-border operators
Regulators said measures against the black market work better when authorities cooperate with each other and with payment service providers and digital platforms, the DGOJ said. The panel also discussed how licensed operators could help authorities detect illegal activity.
Operators that run their sites from other jurisdictions remain an obstacle to enforcement, according to the regulator. The DGOJ said its presence in Rome is part of its supervision of Spain’s online market, and that cooperation with other regulators and the industry is needed to protect players in a digital, global market.
Arana set out the DGOJ’s priorities for 2026, including the fight against illegal gambling, at ICE Barcelona on 20 January. More coverage of the regulator is on the DGOJ tag page, alongside the latest Spanish online market figures.
Source: Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ)
