Gaming in Spain webinar debates cross-operator deposit limits, prediction markets, more

• Prominent speakers have addressed the newest and upcoming regulatory changes to the Spanish iGaming industry
• This includes a last-minute proposed cross-operator deposit limit which could lead to a decline in overall spending
• A new trial is set to kick off in September, while the webinar participants suggested that current iGaming regulation allows room for prediction betting

Prediction market betting could be coming to Spain, argues Gaming in Spain with a recently-concluded webinar focusing on several major developments in the Spanish regulated iGaming market.

Xavi Munoz Bellvehí, Managing Partner at ECIJA Barcelona; Camille Gonzálvez, TMT & iGaming Lawyer at ECIJA; and Josh Hodgson, COO of H2 Gambling Capital, were among the prominent speakers to take part in the discussions and address what they see as the newest and upcoming legislation affecting the local industry.

Among the topics were a series of specific amendments to the Remote Gambling Act, which include proposals that could lead to stricter player ID requirements in order to tackle income tax evasion, a registry of approved B2B software suppliers in a bid to strengthen market resilience against illegal gambling, and further restrictions on advertising.

The webinar also had to adapt to a last-minute proposal pitched by the government, which is seeking to introduce a cross-operator deposit limit in Spain, with a testing period set to start on September 25 and run through March 25, 2027.

H2 Gambling Capital has warned that this last measure alone could reduce player spending by an estimated €300m as players do not have the opportunity to deposit more. Market channelisation could also further decline to 74% in 2027 at the current rate, and will stabilize at 71% from 2028 going forward.

Further to these discussions, the webinar also focused on addressing the recent developments surrounding Polymarket and Kalshi. Despite the antagonistic stance undertaken by the gaming regulator, the speakers said that there is room for prediction betting under the existing regulation.

"Since prediction betting is rapidly growing in popularity, this could be good news for Spanish-licensed operators. However, it should be noted that the competitive position of prediction markets vis-à-vis sports betting operators tends to be significantly overestimated due to the way that transaction volumes in a prediction market are calculated," a press release summarized.

Image credit: Unsplash.com