After Spain approved a new system of deposit limits, the trade body Jdigital warned of black market leakage and technical strain.<\/p>\n
Spain\u2019s government has approved a royal decree that for the first time establishes joint deposit limits across all licensed online gambling operators.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The measure, pushed by the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and the 2030 Agenda, was adopted at the Council of Ministers on 23 June 2026. However, the industry association Jdigital, which represents licensed online operators in Spain, said it viewed the move with \u201cconcern\u201d<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Spain\u2019s joint deposit limits end per-operator flexibility<\/p>\n The change replaces the previous model, in which each operator set deposit limits separately. The new system caps player deposits over three matrices:<\/p>\n \u20ac700 per day\u00a0<\/p>\n \u20ac1,750 per week<\/p>\n \u20ac3,300 every four weeks\u00a0<\/p>\n Under the old system, a player\u2019s total deposits could exceed any single operator\u2019s limit simply by spreading their activity across multiple platforms. Jdigital acknowledged the reform aims to close this loophole.<\/p>\n In a statement, Jdigital pointed to Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) data indicating roughly 80% of online players in Spain participate with only one operator. It argues the problem the measure seeks to address affects a small segment of the market.<\/p>\n The trade body warned that the new joint limits risk concentrating player activity with the largest operators and could harm competitiveness by favouring market incumbents.<\/p>\n Operators face real-time compliance burden<\/p>\n Jdigital also raised practical objections. The association highlighted the technical complexity of a centralised, real-time system that would need to aggregate deposit activity across all licensed operators and respond to thousands of simultaneous players.\u00a0<\/p>\n In addition, it said the scheme would impose significant operational and technological costs on both the administration and industry and warned any teething problems should not lead to sanctions on operators.<\/p>\n The group urged a realistic implementation timetable to allow firms to adapt and called for evidence justifying the necessity and proportionality of the measure.\u00a0<\/p>\n Unlicensed market leakage looms large<\/p>\n Jdigital reiterated a longstanding industry view that successive restrictions have reduced the attractiveness of the regulated market and driven some players to unlicensed operators.\u00a0<\/p>\n Furthermore, the Netherlands has recently revealed that stricter player protection measures, including deposit limits and a gambling tax hike, have worsened the channelisation rate<\/a>.<\/p>\n The association cited an EY report commissioned by Jdigital, which it said indicates around one in four players access the illegal market. It argued further restrictions risk increasing that leakage, undermining the policy goals of consumer protection and market integrity.<\/p>\n