Spain warns licensees over migrating player accounts
Last-minute release from DGOJ suggests dot.es operators are required to refund dot.com players and force them to redeposit to new accounts.
The Spanish General Directorate for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) has issued a press release preventing licensees from carrying dot.com player balances over to their dot.es sites just hours before the issuing of licences.
It explains that: “Gambling operators have to provide the funds to players who were holders of a user account linked to a dot.com domain in the process of opening up user records under [the new system].”
“New user registrations under dot.es, and “ in particular “ game accounts linked to them, cannot incorporate any rights or obligation [with dot.com players] allowing the gaming operator may keep or maintain any [previous] commercial or corporate relationship,” the notice continues.
Sources close to the matter, however have told eGaming Review that it is unclear whether this is advice or a requirement before dot.es sites are due to go live on Tuesday morning. “If this was regulation they would have to go through a consultation period. Just 14 hours before licences were issued and just four days before the market goes live, operators are grappling with this release,” said one source.
“The idea that the likes of Sportingbet and bwin.party will have to give 50,000 active users their money back via bank transfer four days before the market opens and in order to start from scratch is difficult to grasp,” said another.
The DGOJ explains that “An operator cannot in any circumstances, whether or not they have the consent of players, transfer funds or credit claims to [a dot.es account].” It claims the statement was released in response to “numerous enquiries” from gaming operators.
Sixty-five of the 68 applicants have been successful in gaining a Spanish licence today although it remains unclear as to which companies have been rejected.
The DGOJ, however has provided newly licensed operators with some positive news issuing two regulatory releases widening the range of sports companies can offer customers, however with only four days left until sites go live operators will be busily working over the weekend to ensure these markets work. One source called the new announcements “extremely positive” and that the regulator has listened to operators’ requirements.