Shared Deposit Limit Period Begins for Players in Spain

Spain's Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling has started testing a system that combines deposits across all licensed online betting operators. Until now, each operator set its own deposit limits. In the new model, a player's deposits across all operators will be subject to a shared upper limit.

The default shared limits are 700 euros per day, 1,750 euros per week and 3,300 euros over four weeks. Players can lower, raise or remove these limits entirely. However, changes go through a separate application process that includes risk warnings, and changes take effect three working days later. The shared limit can be increased at most once every three months.

The regulator will run the system on a technology that monitors compliance with the limits in real time. The central structure is designed to avoid unnecessary sharing of personal data between operators. Operators' own deposit controls will continue as an additional layer below the shared limits.

The regulator estimates that people with multiple accounts make up about a third of active online betting users in Spain. The system is currently in a voluntary test phase. It will become fully binding from January.

A free Player Portal has also been launched. Accessed through Cl@ve, the country's digital identity system, the portal shows deposits, bets, winnings and losses on a single screen. Users can set personal spending alerts, manage their shared limits and check whether operators are applying those limits. The portal also lists identity-linked betting accounts, which makes it possible to see whether someone's identity has been used without their knowledge. The regulator said these tools will increase transparency and help prevent risky behaviour.