Spain Approves a New Decree on Responsible Gambling (What’s to Change?)

New Responsible Gambling Decree Approved in Spain. What Will Change?

Apr 3rd, 2023 Iryna SI

Following the new restrictions on advertising of the gambling industry in Spain, a new Royal Decree on Responsible Gambling Environments has been approved. This decree includes multiple restrictions and rules that should be taken into consideration when it comes to players with compulsive gambling behaviors. Customers of casinos and the operators themselves have about half a year to adjust to new rules. So, let’s see what new restrictions should be implemented by casinos that have Spanish gambling licenses and whom they can affect.

WHAT PLAYERS CAN BE AFFECTED?

The Decree has a specific definition of what categories of players the new rules are focused on, and those categories are as follows:

VIP players
Players under the age of 26.
Customers who spend €600+ at a casino within three consecutive weeks.
Players who used self-prohibition and self-exclusion from a casino for a certain period of time.

MOST IMPORTANT NORMS TO BE IMPLEMENTED

The guide to responsible gambling should be available on the website or casino app and it should include general information about safe gambling behaviors and the possibilities of self-exclusion. Moreover, new players should receive a message within 24 hours that explains the risks of gambling.
An operator should assess the risk of excessive gambling behavior of a person who can be added to the list of VIP players.
Players should receive the possibility to indicate the time during which they want to play a certain game and how much they are ready to spend. As soon as the time or the spending limit is reached, the session should stop. Moreover, encouraging messages that hint at successful outcomes of future gambling rounds are prohibited.
Players should have access to the statistics of their activity in a casino, which includes the number of sessions, their duration, etc.

Those were some general norms that affect all customers of casinos. But the decree also features several specific restrictions that influence the behavior of those players under 26 years and those who show signs of compulsive gambling. The most important among them are:

As soon as a player reaches €600 (or €200 for customers under 26) spending limit within three consecutive weeks, they should be warned about excessive gambling and should be placed in such a category by a casino.
Such players should not receive any promotional materials, and they should not be allowed to use credit cards for deposits.
Players with such gaming behavior can be removed from such a list after six weeks of playing within the given limit of €600 (or €200).
If a player at risk does not respond to a casino’s attempt to communicate within 72 hours, their account should be suspended.
Players under 26 cannot receive any promotional materials.

WHEN SHOULD THOSE CHANGES TAKE EFFECT?

There is a transitional period of about six months during which casinos should implement all new restrictions and rules. If they fail to do this after this period, they can be fined up to €1m, and their license for the Spanish market can be suspended.

Moreover, the proposal of EGBA to have a list of the clear markers of harmful gambling behaviors was approved.