A decree published in the Spanish Official State Gazette (BOE) establishes the framework for the creation of the National Council for the Prevention of Money Laundering.
The Council will provide a channel for cooperation between public authorities and private-sector entities subject to anti-money laundering regulations, including the gambling industry. Attached to the Commission for the Prevention of Money Laundering and Monetary Offences, it will have an advisory and consultative role.
Its responsibilities will include sharing information, identifying risks, contributing to national anti-money laundering strategies and issuing reports and recommendations. It will comprise representatives from public authorities and regulated industries, supported by an executive committee and specialised technical committees.
The Council will meet at least once a year. Its reports and recommendations will be non-binding and it must be formally established within one month of the order entering into force.
Last month, it was announced that Spain’s anti-money laundering (AML) reform would introduce new fees for gambling operators.
Meanwhile, Spain also recently introduced new requirements for online gambling operators as part of broader efforts to strengthen AML controls and improve payment transparency. Operators must verify that the payment methods used for deposits and withdrawals belong to the registered gambling account holder.
In a related development, National Police and Civil Guard investigators have uncovered growing use of lottery tickets in money-laundering schemes. Criminal organisations are allegedly using winning tickets to disguise illicit funds as legitimate lottery winnings.
According to reports, criminals approach lottery winners and offer a premium to buy their winning tickets, allowing them to present illicit funds as legitimate winnings. One alleged method involves a bank employee alerting a criminal network when a winner deposits their prize. The premium typically amounts to around 20%.
Earlier this week, Spain introduced a system of joint online gambling deposit limits that caps how much players can deposit across all licensed operators, rather than setting limits separately for each account
