Existing online gambling customers in Spain will be unable to withdraw winnings until operators verify that their payment method belongs to them, under a six-month transition accompanying Royal Decree 813/2026. Customers can continue depositing and gambling during that period, but accounts still lacking verified payment ownership at its end must be closed.
The decree takes effect on October 28, 2026, and requires operators to match payment-method ownership to the registered gambling account holder before processing deposits or withdrawals. Focus Gaming News and Gambling.com reported the measure, which gives operators a defined period to update checks while placing an immediate restriction on unverified customers’ access to winnings.
How the payment checks will work
Under Article 21, operators must establish that the person who owns a payment method is also the person registered to the gambling account. They must retain records of verification checks made on customers’ initial transactions. The obligation applies to online gambling conducted through electronic, computer, mobile-application and other interactive channels.
For existing customers, the six-month transition allows continued use of current payment methods for deposits and play while operators complete ownership checks. Withdrawals are treated differently: customers cannot collect winnings until their payment method has been verified. The decree’s transitional provisions state that affected customers “may not withdraw the winnings they have obtained”.
At the end of the transition, operators must terminate accounts where ownership remains unverified. They must return remaining balances, including winnings withheld during the verification period, subject to anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing requirements. Operators must also report customer activations and account closures to Spain’s Directorate General for Gambling Regulation (DGOJ).
A wider compliance and systems deadline
Published in Spain’s official state gazette, the Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE), on October 10, Royal Decree 813/2026 amends regulations supporting Law 10/2010 on preventing money laundering and terrorist financing. Its start date is October 28, but separate duties follow their own implementation schedules.
Operators have six months to adapt technical systems and procedures for payment verification, customer identification and account management. That makes the transition more than a payment-provider change: operators will need processes that connect ownership checks with customer records and account decisions, while keeping the required transaction-verification records.
The decree also sets requirements for remote identity verification. Secure procedures must meet minimum standards established in general authorisations issued by Sepblac, Spain’s financial intelligence authority. Spain’s National Identity Document, or DNI, is recognised in both physical and digital formats.
Requirements covering electronic identification methods and retention of related data take effect 18 months after publication. Businesses must also maintain written policies covering international financial sanctions and countermeasures as part of their anti-money-laundering compliance frameworks.
What operators and customers need to track
The key near-term task for operators is preparing for the October 28 start while planning for the separate six-month deadline. Payment verification, identity checks, account management and reporting obligations all feature in the new framework; the permitted transition for existing customers does not remove the restriction on withdrawals before verification.
Customers who do not complete the ownership check within the transition face account termination. Any remaining funds must be returned subject to applicable anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing requirements. The later 18-month timetable for electronic identification and data retention means the decree’s compliance work will continue beyond the initial launch date.
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