SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The Spanish government continues to advance its plans to impose stricter compliance enforcements and safer gambling measures on the gambling sector.
The DGOJ, the General Directorate of Spanish Gambling, has launched its second public consultation on the desired reforms outlined by the “Royal Decree on Responsible Gaming Environments”.
The consultation, open until 16 October, requires feedback on applying gaming deposit limits and other in-play safeguards on Spanish consumers.
Endorsed by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, in March Parliament approved a new Royal Decree to impose new compliance measures and safer gambling protections across Spain’s 17 autonomous communities.
Outlined as a key player protection, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs seeks to establish “a system of joint deposit limits for each player” – in which feedback is required from key stakeholders.
In its notice, the DGOJ emphasised that a new deposit limit system will only be applied to all online gambling operators and will form part of a new centralised monitoring system, tracking player activity across licensed operators.
The DGOJ explained: “The system will track deposits made by a player across various operators where they have accounts. The goal is to prevent players from exceeding a designated deposit limit within a specified timeframe.”
As stands, the Spanish government seeks to impose a new player monitoring system by 2024, which will require all licensed operators to record and report ‘risk profiles’ on customers under the age of 25.
Though focused on applying safer gambling protections, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs has stated its intent to reform all core provisions related to Spanish gambling including licensing, authorisations, conduct duties and the introduction of in-play safeguard for high-risk games.
This summer, the DGOJ launched phase-1 of its consultations, seeking information on data rights and consumer protections to launch a centralised monitoring system.
As detailed by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, the desired reforms will see Spain adopt the toughest surveillance of gambling operators and market activity within Europe by 2024.
