DGOJ penalizes production company for promoting unlicensed gambling operator

(AsiaGameHub) –   Spain’s Directorate General for Gambling Regulation (DGOJ) has imposed a €10,000 penalty on Make Money Now SA— the production firm behind the popular online reality show channel Zona Gemelos— for promoting an unlicensed gambling operator.

Announced on Thursday, this fine is part of a broader regulatory crackdown on the betting sector in the first quarter of 2026, during which over €10 million in penalties were levied.

Make Money Now SA, known for livestreamed content like The House of the Twins and The Prison of the Twins, was found by the DGOJ to have engaged in affiliate-style promotion of a gambling operator not licensed by Spanish authorities.

The regulator stated that this activity constitutes a “serious” violation of Spain’s Law 13/2011 on Gambling Regulation.

Investigations revealed that commercial communications and affiliate links to the unlicensed provider were shared across multiple social media platforms used by Zona Gemelos, including Instagram, Kick, X, and Discord.

Protecting youngsters from gambling harms

The DGOJ had specific concerns about such gambling promotions appearing on platforms with significant youth viewership, raising issues about the risks posed by unregulated operators that fail to comply with mandatory consumer-protection standards.

Following initial inquiries by the regulator, Make Money Now swiftly removed the infringing advertisements. The company acknowledged responsibility and made a voluntary regulatory settlement payment.

These factors, along with prompt remedial action, allowed Make Money Now to benefit from procedural penalty reductions under Spain’s administrative procedure law (LPACAP). As a result, the DGOJ reduced the original €10,000 fine to €6,000.

Last month, the DGOJ published its Safe Gambling Programme 2026-2030, aiming to adopt new measures to protect youngsters from gambling harms. This includes researching the influence of social media on gambling patterns and developing a standard mechanism to detect risky online gambling behaviour.

One of many

The fine against Zona Gemelos is part of an enforcement initiative carried out by the DGOJ in early 2026. The regulator issued nine final rulings against online betting and gambling entities, cumulatively imposing fines of €10.29 million.

Among these nine cases, the DGOJ deemed two to be “very serious”, accounting for €10 million of the total penalties.

These two entities had operated offshore in Spain for two years and were found to have illegally offered betting services without the required Spanish licences.

Since a 2021 amendment to the Gambling Regulation Act mandated the publication of administrative sanctions, the DGOJ has increased transparency and publicised enforcement actions more proactively.

Since July 2021, the DGOJ has issued 221 sanctions with total fines exceeding €506 million, reflecting intensified regulatory oversight over both licensed operators and illegal foreign entities targeting Spanish consumers.