Spanish regulator streamlines licensing process for new vertical launches
New rules from DGOJ aim to reduce need for duplicate licensing process
The Spanish regulator DGOJ has announced new technical standards which aim to streamline the process for existing licensees looking to launch new verticals in Spain.
Under the new standards, operators which have already been approved to offer egaming services can add new verticals to their platform without the need for reauthorisation by the DGOJ.
The procedure requires the operator to conduct an analysis of the change to determine whether the inclusion of the new vertical or service requires substantial changes to the operators existing systems.
If the change is not a substantial one, the operator can introduce the vertical, on the condition that the operator communicates this change in its quarterly change report to the DGOJ.
DGOJ officials have one month from the submission of the substantial change authorisation to approve or reject the change and the operator cannot commence operations on the new game until this is received.
The DGOJ has also introduced a procedure for dealing with so-called ‘extraordinary emergencies’, when an operator’s systems are required to be changed due to external factors, such as hacking or system failure.
If this occurs and it is a substantial change, the operator is authorised to execute any changes required but must communicate this to the DGOJ following the same process as detailed above.
Under previous rules operators were required to obtain DGOJ authorisation for every new vertical, with a new licensing process every time, regardless of whether the system changes required were substantial or not.
Earlier this week, the DGOJ gave the greenlight to a new advertising code of conduct for operators authored by Spanish trade association JDigital.
The code, which requires operators to enforce responsible gambling practices as well as a ban on advertising during live sporting events, comes into force in January 2020.