Spain requires online gambling operators to match account and payment holders

Spain has introduced a requirement for online gambling operators holding a state licence to check that the holder of a gambling account is the same person as the holder of the payment method used for deposits and withdrawals. The measure is set out in the fourth final provision of Real Decreto 813/2026, according to the report. It applies from entry into force to new gambling accounts, while accounts already registered have a six-month transitional period to comply.

The measure was promoted by the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and the 2030 Agenda. It is intended to make it harder to use cards, electronic wallets and other payment methods belonging to third parties, the report says. The initiative responds to an increase in identity-impersonation complaints recorded in Spain during 2025. According to data compiled by Consumo through the DGOJ, the number of complaints rose 12% to 8,675. The information comes from the PACS, a protocol for impersonated taxpayers set up with the state security forces and the tax agency.

The data also point to the use of payment methods whose ownership may be difficult to verify in real time, and warn that these practices are not limited to the private or family sphere but may be linked to criminal organisations and money laundering, the report says.

During the transitional period, operators must adapt their technical systems and payment methods to the new requirements. Users may continue to make deposits with the payment methods they already had set up and take part in the games offered by the platform, but they cannot withdraw winnings until the matching of holders has been verified.

If, once the transitional period has ended, it is not shown that the account holder and the payment-method holder are the same person, the operator must terminate the contract unilaterally and notify the DGOJ. The operator must also return existing balances, including winnings pending payment, without prejudice to obligations on preventing money laundering and terrorist financing.