Spain cracks down on online gambling with cross-operator deposit limits
Spain has brought in new sweeping restrictions targeting its regulated online gambling industry. The country’s government gave the green light to a new Royal Decree with comprehensive, pooled deposit limits that apply across the sector. Pablo Bustinduy, the minister for Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and the 2030 Agenda, gave the nod for the shake-up in efforts to ensure adequate player protection.
The framework places a cap on how much players can bet, not across one platform, but in total, across all operators.
New automated limits in Spain will automatically impose a €700 per-day cap, €1,750 weekly and €3,300 over any four-week period. Prior to the Royal Decree, operators set their own deposit limits, meaning customers could max out a single site and open a new account with another operator to keep playing. This new, centralised mechanism will see those users prevented from depositing further across any other operator for the day if their limit is hit on any single site. If players wish to alter their limits they will have to go through a separate application and security checks process.
The Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) established this system to protect players.
It is estimated that a third of Spain’s online gamblers use accounts with more than one operator and will fall under the purview of the cross-operator restrictions. The move aims to clamp down on potentially harmful practices, making gambling more safe and responsible. Nonetheless, industry group Jdigital have expressed serious reservations as to what effects the rules might have, despite acknowledging it addresses an obvious gap.
While Jdigital does believe that the measures will indeed close loopholes that previously allowed customers to bypass single operators’ deposit caps, it anticipates smaller operators will bear the brunt of these new restrictions. According to the group, the rules could lead to more funds being funnelled towards leading players in the market, stifling competition. The compliance burden and technical challenges of implementing and maintaining such systems are also a concern.
Indeed, the centralised, real-time tracking system is proving to be an extremely challenging and cost-prohibitive endeavour to set up and manage by both the regulatory bodies and operators alike.
Moreover, the concern is also present that the severity of the regulations will drive gamblers away from legitimate, regulated sites and on to unregulated alternatives. Jdigital cites research that shows nearly one in four of Spanish citizens gamble at an illegal online casino, highlighting that one study from EY demonstrated the proportion of Spanish bettors betting through such channels already at a quarter. The industry group likens the situation to that seen in the Netherlands, where increases in tax and betting regulations, particularly strict in their nature, has led to a significant drop in real-money gambling across the online sector.
Earlier, Spain’s Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and the 2030 Agenda urged tougher action to stop gambling among minors.
Austria to end online gambling monopoly October 2027
October 2027 looks like a significant month for Austria, as a draft law to abolish its long-standing online gaming monopoly moves closer, set to allow new operators into the market. However, new entrants must prove they complied with its markets over time before being awarded a licence. The Austrian government intends to bring in a 12-month cooling-off period from next year; illegally operated in the market for the past 18 months will be given the treatment, growing to 24 months in 2030, while they would have paid outstanding taxes and satisfied any existing player claims.
Many grey market brands take Austrian bets via a European licence but the Austrian Betting and Gaming Association warns that the ban will backfire and send Austrian customers to the black market and deplete government taxes, while dominant online giant Casinos Austria supports new regulations.
Following an outcry from the industry, the state will allow 5 limit per stake for slot games, back from the 2 per stake previously proposed and keep 10,000 cap for slot winnings. Maximum wins can go up to 10,000, previously 2,000, whereas jackpots will also be allowed. Other games will face different limits however as weekly deposit limits of 1,680 will come in place – it will be stronger than expected under 26-years old persons, whereas game play speed and breaks will be added to this rules list.
Curaçao implements stringent crypto regulations for online casinos
The Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) has set in motion strict new crypto regulations governing its local regulated online gambling market. All current B2C licensees will need to meet new compliance levels for deposits, bets and withdrawals during the 12-month implementation process. Consequently, offshore operators are urged to swiftly develop their payment Treasury and analytics solutions to comply with the framework.
The regulator will be slowly implementing new requirements until June 2027.
Within 3 months of this publication, licensees must upload their compliant crypto policy to the CGA platform. Within 6 months of the guidelines publication, companies must carry out risk assessments and provide their staff with training. The regulators are expecting full compliance from all companies by June 2027; this includes segregated wallets, the integration of the CGA’s analytics solution, and transaction reconciliation procedures. In order to address issues such as money laundering, the CGA has taken action to meet the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) standards.
With this new regulation framework in place, online casinos licensed under the CGA will not be permitted to operate as crypto exchanges or custodians and must integrate blockchain analytics tools to screen wallets.
The players’ funds should be strictly separated from the companies’ working capital. Fiat-backed stablecoins would be encouraged, whileprivacy, wrapped, andmeme coins would be vetted more closely, or even ruled out entirely. From day one, the regulators’ guidance states no funds sourced from mixers, tumblers, or sanctioned wallet addresses would be permissible to adhere to FATF standards.
