The Spanish Observatory on Drugs and Addictions of the Ministry of Health halves the rate of problem gambling since 2018
The Ministry of Health's 2026 Key Indicators on Drugs and Addictions report reflects the decrease in possible problem gambling or gambling disorder among the adult population, from 2.6% in 2018 to 1.4% in 2024.
Gambling disorder in the adult population falls from 2.6% to 1.4% in six years, according to the latest report from the Ministry of Health.
The prevalence of problem gambling in Spain has followed a sustained downward trend over the last six years, reaching 1.4% of the adult population in 2024, the lowest level in the entire available series. This is stated in the report "Key Indicators on Drugs and Addictions 2026", prepared by the Spanish Observatory on Drugs and Addictions and published by the Government Delegation for the National Plan on Drugs, under the Ministry of Health.
According to the data in the document, the proportion of adults with possible problem gambling or gambling disorder has fallen uninterruptedly from 2.6% in 2018, to 2.2% in 2020 and 1.7% in 2022, to 1.4% in 2024. The figure represents practically a halving in the whole of the period analysed.
The indicator is obtained from the EDADES survey, aimed at people aged 15 to 64 years and carried out at home. The report considers that there is a possible problem gambling or gambling disorder when the presence of one or more of the criteria included for Gambling Disorder in the DSM-5 diagnostic manual is detected.
The study does not break down the data by game modalities, so the figure aggregates the activity as a whole without differentiating between online and face-to-face gambling or between specific products. The Observatory itself frames these indicators by pointing out that "the practice of games does not always lead to a problem" and that only a part of people, depending on the frequency, intensity and personal characteristics, end up developing a disorder.
At the same time, the report offers a differentiated indicator for video game use among adolescents. The proportion of minors aged 14 to 18 with possible video game use disorder stood at 5.2% in 2025, after peaking at 7.1% in 2021 and falling to 5.1% in 2023. This data comes from the ESTUDES survey and is calculated based on the presence of five or more of the criteria established for internet gaming disorder in the DSM-5.
