Spain’s licensed online gambling operators are now required to ensure the person using a payment method is the same as the account holder, following the enforcement of new anti-money laundering rules on Wednesday. This change is mandated by Royal Decree 813/2026, published on 8 October by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Business. The decree revises 11 existing royal decrees related to the financial sector, including the identification verification aspects of Spain’s anti-money laundering regulations.
Simply having a verified gaming account will no longer suffice; operators must confirm that every card, bank account, or payment gateway used belongs to the player.
The new rules allow both operators and players a six-month period to comply. According to the news agency EFE, the verification is required immediately for new accounts, while existing customers have until 28 April 2027 to adapt.
During this transition, current players may continue to deposit and gamble but will be unable to withdraw any winnings until their payment methods have been verified. If an account cannot be matched to the player’s identity by the deadline, operators must close the account, notify the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ), and refund the entire balance, including any winnings held.
This measure aims to address the increase in identity impersonation incidents, which rose by 12% in 2025, totaling 8,675 complaints.
For operators, the primary challenge is technical, as they need a robust method to verify the owner of each card, bank account, and e-wallet used by players for both deposits and withdrawals. Additionally, they will have to work through their existing customer databases before the April deadline. Players who have previously used payment methods registered under someone else's name will need to switch to a personal account before cashing out.
This verification process is likely to cause some friction, especially since blocking withdrawals until verification is completed may lead to a surge in complaints and support inquiries at a time when players want immediate access to their funds.
Operators are also facing uncertainty due to the lack of detailed guidance on these requirements. The online gambling association Jdigital has requested that the authorities publish an interpretative guide to clarify the new measures and provide legal certainty, according to Sector del Juego.
To complicate matters, the deadline in April coincides with the anticipated rollout of Spain’s national deposit limits, which will cap spending across all operators at €700 daily and is expected to launch in March 2027.
Notably, the decree extends a principle previously proposed by the DGOJ solely for at-risk players: under the draft risk-detection guidelines, customers flagged as high-risk must also use payment methods in their own name. This requirement will now encompass all players.
