Spain began testing its new cross-operator deposit control system on September 29, 2026, marking the start of the technical rollout of the System of Joint Deposit Limits per Player (SLDC), which will require all state-licensed online gambling operators to check a player’s combined deposits across the regulated market from March 25, 2027. The Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) has already published version 1.1 of the REST specification that will connect private platforms to the regulator’s central infrastructure.
The reform stems from Royal Decree 520/2026, dated June 24, approved by the Council of Ministers on June 23 and published in Spain’s Official State Gazette on June 25, 2026. It amends Royal Decree 1614/2011 and Royal Decree 176/2023. The DGOJ is headed by Mikel Arana Echezarreta and operates under the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and the 2030 Agenda, led by Pablo Bustinduy Amador.
The new framework establishes combined deposit caps of €700 per day, €1,750 per week and €3,300 every four weeks, regardless of how many sportsbooks or online casinos a player uses. The regulatory day will run from 06:00 to 06:00, while the weekly cycle will begin every Tuesday at 06:00. Before accepting a deposit, each operator will have to query the DGOJ electronically. The central system will aggregate the player’s previous deposits and approve or reject the transaction in real time. Operator-specific limits will remain in force as an additional control layer.
Pablo Bustinduy Amador
Players will be able to lower their limits immediately. Requests to raise or remove them will become effective only after three business days, while certain subsequent increases will also be subject to a three-month interval. The Government says around one-third of online gamblers use more than one operator, while roughly 80% of total losses are concentrated among 10% of players.
The decree also raises financial guarantees to as much as €2.6 million for certain general licences during the initial period and €1.3 million thereafter. Operators now have roughly six months to adapt APIs, payment flows, control systems and testing environments ahead of mandatory nationwide deployment.
