Spain's gambling regulator DGOJ has reopened consultation on a single mandatory system for monthly screening of players for signs of problem gambling. The round opened on Tuesday and runs to 22 October 2026, and the mechanism would bind every nationally licensed online operator.
Under the draft, operators must run the automated test within the first seven calendar days of each month. It reads account activity from the preceding 183 days against roughly 48 parameters: deposits, withdrawals, bets by amount, time and product, session length, time of day, use of self-limitation tools, cancelled withdrawals and payment method categories. External data such as social media, browsing history or medical records is not used, the regulator says. Accounts above the risk probability threshold are classed as being in a 'risky behaviour zone'.
That classification triggers the measures set out in Real Decreto 176/2023. The operator has to notify the player and explain why. The player then gets 72 hours for 'effective interaction'; failing that, the account is blocked until the requirements are met. Promotions, VIP services and marketing communications are off limits for these players, personalised payment methods are required and credit cards are barred.
The first consultation ran in 2025. Operators disputed the DGOJ's €130,000 estimate for implementation, flagged accuracy risks for poker and sports betting and raised data protection questions over automated profiling. Until now each operator has run its own detection models; the new system is meant to harmonise the standards.
