Spain's Royal Decree 813/2026 requires online gambling operators to verify that a payment method belongs to the holder of the gaming account. The text was published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado on 10 October and takes effect on 28 October 2026. It amends the regulatory base under Law 10/2010 on anti-money laundering and terrorist financing.
What changes for customers
Existing customers get six months to make the transition. They can deposit and play, but cannot withdraw winnings until the operator confirms who owns the payment method. Under Article 21 the operator must establish that the owner of the method and the registered account holder are the same person, and keep records of the checks on the customer's first transactions. The requirement covers online gambling through electronic, computer and mobile channels.
When the transition period ends, accounts with unverified ownership will have to be closed. Remaining balances, including winnings held back during the checks, are returned subject to AML/CTF rules. Operators report customer activations and account closures to the DGOJ.
Deadlines and new duties
Operators have six months to rework technical systems and procedures: payment checks, customer identification, account management, reporting. The job is wider than swapping a payment provider. Ownership checks have to be tied to customer records and account decisions, with verification records for transactions kept. Remote identification procedures must meet the minimum standards set out in Sepblac general authorisations, and the Spanish DNI is accepted in both physical and digital form. Rules on electronic identification and data storage take effect 18 months after publication. Operators also need written policies on international financial sanctions and countermeasures. For operators, that is a reason to check now how ownership checks line up with customer records ahead of the 28 October start.
Based on CasinoBeats.
