The New Online Gaming License: What Changes for Player Protection

The new online gaming license (GAD) introduces, for the first time in a comprehensive way, a range of protection tools designed to reduce risky behaviors. It is useful to begin with a brief overview of the main measures provided by the license and then add some reflections on the aspects that may most significantly impact the sector’s evolution. For simplicity, these measures can be read according to the main sections of the new license.

Mandatory Gaming Limits

Players can set and customize their own gaming limits. These limits must be defined when opening an account and differ between players under 25 and those over 25. The tools include deposit limits, spending limits, time limits, and loss limits. Limits can be reduced at any time, while any increase is subject to a cooling-off period. The license allows limits to be increased 24 hours after account opening, but no general maximum threshold is defined.

Enhanced Self-Exclusion System

The reform introduces a more structured and flexible self-exclusion system compared to the past. Players can activate temporary or permanent self-exclusion. It is also possible to exclude oneself from specific types of games or from the entire national system. The system is integrated into the National Self-Exclusion Register managed by ADM, which enforces the block across all licensed operators.

Monitoring of Gaming Behavior

The new licenses require operators to implement systems that monitor player behavior in order to identify risk patterns early. These systems analyze gaming behavior, detect risk indicators, and trigger warning messages or suggestions about using control tools. This is one of the most significant elements of the reform, as it introduces a data-driven preventive approach already used in several European markets.

Informational Messages and Gaming Alerts

Another aspect concerns strengthening the information provided to players to increase transparency. This includes periodic reminders about gaming time, information on spending, alerts related to set limits, and immediate access to player protection tools.

Points for Reflection

However, some issues emerge from the analysis of the different sections of the license.

The first concerns the structure of gaming limits. The absence of a shared maximum cap across all operators risks reducing the overall effectiveness of this tool. In a competitive environment, offering higher limits could become a commercial attraction, presented as greater freedom for players.

A second issue relates to how operators guide players in setting limits. There is a risk that this process becomes purely formal and compliance-driven, while the real value of these tools depends on helping players choose limits that match their behavior.

In this context, a common explanatory model across operators could be useful, supported by shared information standards. This would ensure that every player receives similar information regardless of the chosen operator. An additional step could be the creation of dashboards that clearly show a player’s average behavior over time. Such tools would help players better understand their gaming profile and suggest more balanced limits.

Behavioral analysis tools also deserve attention. They can be highly effective when used to intervene promptly as soon as behavioral changes emerge.

The same applies to informational messages. They can interrupt gaming routines and promote awareness, provided they are designed with the same care as marketing communications and tailored to individual player behavior.

The Role of Artificial Intelligence

Underlying all these dynamics is another factor set to significantly impact the sector: the use of artificial intelligence. Advanced analytics technologies can improve the ability to detect early warning signs of risky behavior and enable more timely interventions. For this reason, the sector could benefit from reflecting on the definition of shared ethical standards to guide the use of data, algorithms, and behavioral analysis tools.

Such an approach would strengthen the credibility of the legal system and turn the new rules into a concrete step toward a more advanced model of player protection.