Spain has begun another review of its regulated online gambling framework as the Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego considers amendments to the Remote Gambling Act. At the same time, the government has approved the structure for deposit limits that will apply across licensed operators. The measures place player protection at the centre of the country’s next regulatory phase. They also raise questions about market oversight and newer betting formats.
The developments were discussed during a Gaming in Spain webinar attended by Xavi Munoz Bellvehí, managing partner at ECIJA Barcelona, and Camille Gonzálvez, TMT and iGaming lawyer at ECIJA. Josh Hodgson, chief operating officer of H2 Gambling Capital, also joined the discussion. The participants assessed the legislative process and the expected market effect of shared deposit limits. They also considered the scope for prediction-based products under Spain’s current rules.
Consultation Targets Identification and Supplier Oversight
The DGOJ’s public consultation focuses on changes that would need primary legislation before they could take effect. One proposal would strengthen player identification requirements “to prevent income tax evasion,” expanding the role of identity controls within the regulated market.
The regulator also wants to establish a registry of approved business-to-business software suppliers. Authorities intend to use that register as part of their efforts against illegal gambling by creating a formal record of suppliers permitted to serve licensed operators.
Advertising forms another part of the consultation. The proposed amendments would introduce further marketing restrictions consistent with the government’s earlier attempts to impose tighter gambling advertising rules. Those previous efforts did not succeed, and the current consultation places the issue back into the legislative process.
The proposals remain separate from the deposit-limit framework that the government has already approved. Lawmakers would need to adopt amendments to the Remote Gambling Act for the consultation measures to take effect. The cross-operator controls have already moved to a scheduled testing and implementation stage.
Shared Deposit Limits Move Toward Testing
Spain plans to begin a six-month test of cross-operator deposit limits on September 25. The system is scheduled for final introduction on March 25, 2027. Once implemented, the framework will calculate deposit controls across licensed operators, covering activity beyond an individual gambling account.
H2 Gambling Capital expects the measure to reduce annual spending with regulated domestic operators by approximately €300 million. Its forecast also indicates a decline in channelisation, which measures the proportion of gambling activity taking place within the licensed market.
The projected channelisation rate currently stands at 76 per cent. H2 expects it to fall to 74 per cent during 2027 and “eventually stabilize at around 71% from 2028 onwards.” The estimate indicates that some spending affected by the shared limits may move away from Spain’s regulated operators.
The planned system adds a market-wide control to Spain’s responsible gambling framework. The six-month testing phase will take place before the limits become fully operational in March 2027.
Sports Prediction Products Face Regulatory Questions
The webinar also examined whether licensed “prediction betting” could operate under rules that Spain already applies to certain sports wagers. The discussion followed the DGOJ’s announcement of enforcement proceedings against Polymarket and Kalshi.
Gonzálvez explained that current regulations permit wagers on sporting events in which customers bet against one another while the operator serves as an intermediary. That structure may allow prediction markets restricted to sports or horse racing to fit within the existing betting framework.
The panel also addressed comparisons between prediction markets and conventional sportsbooks. Participants said transaction-volume calculations can exaggerate the competitive scale of prediction markets, making their position against established sports betting operators appear larger than it is.
Spain’s treatment of these products will feature at the 2026 Gaming in Spain Conference in Madrid on October 15. The programme will address cross-operator deposit limits and the DGOJ’s new problem gambling detection algorithm. Sweepstakes and other product formats will also form part of the regulatory discussion.
Mikel Arana, director general of the DGOJ, has been confirmed as the headline speaker. Other announced participants include Jorge Hinojosa of Jdigital and Pedro López Martín-Andino of MartínAndino Abogados. Patricia Lalanda of Loyra Abogados and Camille Gonzálvez are also scheduled to take part.
The speaker line-up further includes Christian Heins and Mauro De Fabritiis. Dmitry Belianin and VNLOK board member Björn Fuchs have also been announced. Mindway AI chief executive Rasmus Kjaergaard is another confirmed participant, with further speakers expected to join the programme.
Source:
Spain consults on Remote Gambling Act changes as prediction betting debate grows, hipther.com, July 14, 2026
