DGOJ says gambling prediction markets need a Spanish licence

Spain's Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ) said on 30 October that platforms offering products which constitute gambling under Spanish law must hold the corresponding licence to operate in Spain. Director general Mikel Arana made the statement during a panel on prediction markets at MERGE Madrid 2026, according to the DGOJ's account of the event.

The statement matters for operators whose products may resemble financial or digital-asset services but involve wagering on an outcome. The DGOJ's position is conditional on the product being classified as gambling under Spanish law. If it is, a platform without authorisation may not legally offer the service in Spain. The regulator also said measures are adopted to prevent access from Spain to affected platforms.

Existing rules applied to new products

The DGOJ's page records Arana's explanation at an industry event, rather than announcing a new rule, licence category or sanction. It says the applicable legal framework must be determined by considering the characteristics of the products offered and the rules in force in each jurisdiction.

For compliance teams, the relevant question is therefore not whether a business describes itself as a prediction market. It is whether the product falls within Spain's gambling rules. The DGOJ said its supervision remains focused on ensuring that operators carrying out gambling activities comply with the legal requirements and that Spain maintains a safe gambling environment as digital business models develop.

Earlier blocking action

The position follows a concrete DGOJ enforcement step. On 26 May, the Spanish Ministry and DGOJ opened sanctioning proceedings against Polymarket and Kalshi and ordered precautionary blocking of their websites in Spain.

That May action concerned named platforms and included precautionary blocking, while the 30 October statement names no operator and does not announce new proceedings. Atlas reads the combination as a warning that the DGOJ intends to apply existing gambling licensing rules to prediction-market products rather than treat the label as an exemption.

Operators considering a Spanish launch therefore need to resolve the product's classification first. If it constitutes gambling under Spanish legislation, the DGOJ says the corresponding licence is required and the service cannot legally be offered without it.