Spanish Authorities Target Escalating Identity Fraud with Strict Payment Matching Rules
Spain’s Ministry of Consumption, alongside the Directorate General for Gambling Regulation (DGOJ), has officially introduced Real Decreto 813/2026, launching a comprehensive compliance overhaul aimed at curbing the growing threat of identity fraud across the regulated gambling sector. The regulatory intervention comes as a direct response to a 12% rise in fraudulent identity complaints during 2025, which reached a total of 8,675 cases nationwide. According to official warnings from the DGOJ, impersonators have increasingly utilized real-time payment methods that are difficult to verify, creating systemic vulnerabilities tied directly to organized crime and money laundering.
Under the provisions of the new decree, licensed operators are legally required to verify that the individual registered on a gaming profile matches the rightful owner of the associated payment instrument. For newly created accounts, operators must enforce immediate payment ownership matching upon registration. For existing profiles, regulators have established a six-month transition period allowing operators to adapt their technical infrastructure. While players may continue depositing and gambling during this transition, all withdrawal requests will remain strictly frozen until payment ownership is fully verified. Accounts that fail to satisfy verification requirements by the end of the six-month window face mandatory termination, notification to the DGOJ, and the liquidation of remaining balances under strict anti-money laundering protocols.
Despite broader political uncertainty looming over the country following Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s call for a snap election late next month, the DGOJ remains focused on its long-term enforcement roadmap. The regulator is proceeding with plans to implement its central deposit system by March 25, 2027, aiming to fortify player protection across the market. While an expected channelisation rate of 78% presents ongoing strategic considerations for tier-one operators such as CIRSA and Codere, Spanish authorities have made it clear that player security and combatting financial criminality remain their absolute priority.
