TODAY THE NEW OWNERSHIP CONTROL OF MEANS OF PAYMENT IN ONLINE GAMBLING COMES INTO FORCE
From this Wednesday, October 28, operators must verify that the holder of the means of payment used for deposits and withdrawals coincides with the holder of the gaming account, although they will have six months to adapt their systems.
Today, Wednesday, October 28, 2026, Royal Decree 813/2026, of October 7, comes into force, which introduces new identification obligations for online gambling operators in Spain, within the regulations on the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing.
The main novelty is the obligation to verify that the means of payment used to deposit and withdraw funds belong to the same person who appears as the holder of the gaming account. The measure seeks to strengthen the traceability of operations and avoid the use of third-party means of payment.
The regulations establish a transitional period of six months, until April 28, 2027, for players who were already registered before its entry into force.
During this period, these users will be able to continue making deposits with the payment methods they have established and participate in the games offered by the operator. However, they will not be able to withdraw the prizes obtained until the coincidence of ownership has been verified.
If after six months the verification has not been completed, the operators must unilaterally terminate the contract and notify the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling. They must also return the existing balances, including any prizes pending payment, without prejudice to the applicable obligations in terms of the prevention of money laundering.
Companies have the same period to make the necessary technical adaptations to their platforms and verification procedures.
Today's entry into force thus opens a new stage of adaptation for Spanish online gambling, with direct consequences on the management of accounts, deposits and withdrawals.
The degree of preparation of the operators, the possible incidents during implementation and the costs associated with the new control procedures remain to be known.
