Spain Seeks Public Feedback On New Gaming Regulations

Spain has been concerned with the increase in the number of problem gamblers in the country and as a result the Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ) which is the gaming regulator in the country has come out with a new set of stringent regulations that will look to address the issue of problem gambling and provide better protection to players under the proposed regulations.

The DGOJ has made its proposed list of draft regulations open to the public, who will be able to view the proposed regulations and share their feedback on the same till Aug 9, 2021. The proposed regulations will definitely cramp the freedom of licensed gaming operators as it deals with imposing specific betting limits on the amount spent per session and time spent per session.

We take a look at some of the key changes in the proposed draft regulations below.

Advertisements

Licensed Operators To Make Lots Of Changes

Under current gaming regulations, licensed gaming operators are required to offer their players access to responsible gambling tools that allow them to set limits on the time spent and money spent per session. This is a voluntary service and not a lot of problem gamblers take advantage of this service.

The new regulations proposed to take these responsible gambling tools and bring it from the background to the forefront. Licensed operators will have to modify their software to ensure that all players are confronted with a pop-up screen that makes it mandatory for them to enter the amount of time and money they want to spend per session. Without entering this information, they will not be able to proceed to the next phase and play.

The proposed rules make it mandatory for each and every session. There will be no provision for players to modify these limits mid-session. The operator will not be able to suggest any time limit or spend limit automatically as it will be left up to the discretion of each player. The operator will also have to send players automatic messages during their gameplay to remind them of how much money and time they are spending as the session progresses.

VIP Player Restrictions

Licensed operators tend to make a lot of money from their VIP clientele and the DGOJ is also looking to address this in their new draft regulations. VIP players who end up spending 50 percent of their max weekly or daily loss limit as defined under the proposed gambling regulations will be considered intensive players and will be prohibited from using credit cards.