iGaming

Spain sets cross-operator deposit cap for online gambling

The new system, which caps combined deposits across all licensed operators, enters a testing phase before becoming binding in 2027.

By Erin Kowalski, Editor-in-Chief
October 25, 2026

MADRID · Spain's gambling regulator has launched a single deposit limit that applies to a player's combined activity across all licensed online operators. The default caps are set at €700 per day, €1,750 per week and €3,300 over four weeks. The Directorate General for Gambling Regulation (DGOJ) is testing the new system, which will become mandatory on March 26, 2027. The consumer affairs ministry, which oversees the DGOJ, activated the cap and a new Player Portal last Wednesday.

Previously, deposit limits in Spain were applied individually by each operator, allowing players with multiple accounts to have separate allowances. Under the new model, all deposits made by a single person across the regulated market are counted together. The regulator said once that combined total reaches the cap, no licensed site can accept another deposit from that player. Andrés Barragán, Spain's secretary general for consumer affairs and gambling, announced the launch online.

"We are launching a new tool to help limit losses on betting. By default, limits will apply to daily, weekly and monthly deposits, effective across all platforms at once,"

he wrote.

Players have the option to adjust the joint cap, including lowering it, raising it or turning it off entirely. Any change must be made through a specific procedure that includes enhanced warnings about gambling risks, according to the DGOJ. The ministry stated this new cross-operator limit is an additional layer of protection, while existing per-operator limits remain active. The DGOJ will operate the system itself using a tool it developed to monitor compliance in real time. Officials said this centralised approach improves player privacy by eliminating the need for operators to share customer data with each other.

For gambling licensees, accepting a deposit will now require a successful check against the regulator's central system in addition to their own internal controls. The ministry estimates that players who use multiple operators make up about one third of the active online gambling population. This group is therefore most affected by the new cap and represents a significant portion of deposit revenue for some brands. The Player Portal is now live and free to access using Spain's Cl@ve digital identity system. The DGOJ said the portal is available to all citizens, regardless of whether they have a gambling account.

The portal's identity verification feature also serves a compliance function. If a gambling account is opened using another person's details, that individual can now see it on a government dashboard, rather than the information being confined to an operator's internal records. The deposit cap and a related player self-assessment tool were both outlined in the DGOJ's Safe Gambling Programme for 2026 to 2030. Their launch coincides with the regulator's broader push to centralise risk detection. A separate public consultation on a proposed mandatory monthly account screening for all licensed operators closed on October 22. That screening proposal is based on Royal Decree 176/2023. During a first consultation round in 2025, operators challenged the DGOJ's estimated implementation cost of €130,000 per company. With the joint deposit limit system now in testing, licensees have until the March 2027 deadline to integrate their systems with the regulator's new checks.