888 has been fined €551,952 ($630,881) by Spain’s Ministry of Economy for two serious breaches of the country’s anti-money laundering regulations.
The Ministry imposed two penalties of €275,976, accompanied by public reprimands, against the online gambling operator. The sanctions were confirmed in a resolution published in Spain’s Official State Gazette.
The first infringement concerned 888’s failure to apply continuous monitoring measures to customer relationships, as required under Article 6 of Spain’s Law 10/2010 on the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing.
The second involved a failure to conduct the special examination required under Article 17 of the same legislation. This process requires regulated businesses to investigate transactions or behaviour that could be connected to money laundering or terrorist financing.
Spanish financial intelligence authority Sepblac states that a structured special examination must precede any suspicious transaction report. Operators must assess the parties involved, the purpose and value of transactions and the circumstances that created the suspicion before reporting the activity.
Online gambling operators are designated obliged entities under Spain’s AML framework. Their responsibilities sit alongside the licensing, technical compliance and player protection requirements enforced by the Directorate General for Gambling Regulation (DGOJ).
Sepblac and the DGOJ increased their engagement with the sector during 2025, including a joint conference with the Spanish Treasury covering AML and counter-terrorist financing obligations for online operators. Sepblac subsequently introduced dedicated regulatory guidance for the industry.
The latest penalty adds to a €250,000 fine issued against 888 in November 2025. That sanction concerned failures to meet regulatory technical requirements and the use of systems that had not been approved or authorised.
888 is owned by Evoke, the gambling group that also operates William Hill and Mr Green. Spain remains one of Evoke’s principal regulated markets, alongside the UK, Italy, Denmark and Romania.
The sanction also comes as Spain continues to revise its gambling controls. The Government has introduced cross-operator deposit limits and consulted on further amendments to the Gambling Act during 2026.
Belgium has also reorganised its gambling supervision, moving the Belgian Gambling Commission under the Federal Public Service Economy from 1 June as part of a wider focus on illegal gambling and market oversight.
Spanish AML rules require operators to monitor customer activity throughout the business relationship and examine unusual transactions before determining whether a report to Sepblac is necessary
