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The DGOJ, Spain’s gambling directorate, will review the ONCE and SELAE Spanish lotteries to see how they are sold and promoted to the public.
Spanish media and gambling stakeholders were informed about the DGOJ’s consultation. It seeks feedback from the public on “commercial marketing” of lottery games in Spain’s autonomous regions.
The consultation will remain open for responses until March 31. The directorate stressed that it needed feedback from Spanish media as well as public vendors of ONCE/SELAE games.
Stewards of Spain’s National Lotteries ONCE (the lottery for the disabled) and SELAE (the lottery for Spanish Societies/Charities) are authorized to authorize the sale of tickets or games through “public vendors”, which can be cafes, restaurants and tobacconists as well as retail shops.
The DGOJ however highlighted the fact that the Spanish public has seen an increase in websites and online apps selling ONCE and SELAE gaming products as authorised sellers in recent years.
Online ticket sellers have not been able to provide adequate customer protection and guarantees for tickets that are sold to the public for ONCE or SELAE draws.
Spanish lotteries are different from other European countries in that customers buy tickets with preprinted numbers and participate in ballots to win an % share of the community jackpot, rather than the single draw format which rewards a single winner.
This unique format allows Spain to maintain Europe’s most popular lotteries. It includes the Christmas “El Gordo”, and “El Nino” draws. These draws have given away over EUR2.5bn worth of prizes to customers.
The DGOJ stressed the importance of consultations to ensure that Spanish lotteries are not corrupt and protect Spanish consumers against fraud.
