Spain orders gambling operators to verify payment-method ownership under Real Decreto 813/2026

Spain has introduced new rules aimed at identity theft in gambling, after fraudulent identity complaints rose 12% in 2025 to 8,675. For licensed operators, the point is simple: the account holder must match the owner of the payment method, or deposits, withdrawals, and account handling get messy fast.

1. The Ministry of Consumption introduced the measure through Real Decreto 813/2026, and it applies to licensed gambling operators in Spain. The rule requires operators to make sure the person registered for a gaming profile is the same person who owns the associated payment method.
2. For new accounts, payment ownership verification must happen immediately upon creation. In other words, operators are expected to check this at onboarding, not after the player has already deposited and started playing.
3. Existing accounts get a six-month transition period. During that window, registered players can still deposit and play, but they cannot withdraw winnings until payment-method ownership has been verified. If the ownership match is still not proven after six months, operators must terminate the account, notify the DGOJ, and return balances and unpaid prizes, subject to anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing rules.
4. The Directorate General for Gambling Regulation (DGOJ) said identity impersonators often use payment methods that are hard to verify in real time, and it warned that identity theft is increasingly tied to organised crime and money laundering. That is the real operating problem here: if the PSP layer cannot support reliable ownership checks, the compliance burden shifts back to the operator.
5. The DGOJ is also moving ahead with a central deposit system due by 25 March 2027. Meanwhile, political uncertainty remains after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called a snap election for the end of next month, but the regulator is pressing on regardless. The article also notes an expected channelisation rate of 78%, which will matter to regulated operators such as CIRSA and Codere.