Approval and certification

Approving technical gambling systems

Gambling operators must have the approved software, equipment, systems, terminals and tools generally required to carry out their activity.

Gambling regulations set the technical requirements for operators' systems.

The Directorate General for Gambling Regulation monitors compliance with technical requirements at different stages:

  1. Before obtaining the licence, the technical projects and preliminary certification reports are evaluated.
  2. Final approval is awarded within 6 months of obtaining the licence by evaluating the final certification reports.
  3. Any changes made to the approved system are evaluated.
  4. There is permanent monitoring in the form of inspections.
  5. Technical systems are audited every two years.

To monitor compliance with technical requirements, the General Directorate for Gambling Regulation may rely on reports issued by certifying bodies previously designated in an open procedure which assesses their experience and professionalism.

Pre-licence monitoring

To obtain initial approval, the procedure for obtaining general and single licences is used. The procedure for initial approvals is mainly document-based.

To request a licence, operators must provide their technical project along with a preliminary certification report of compliance with the technical requirements. If they request a general licence, they must also provide an internal monitoring system certification report.

The form and content of certification reports is described in the Resolution of the Directorate General for Gambling Regulation of 6 october 2014.

Final approval

Operators are required to obtain final approval within six months of obtaining the licence: General licences are subject to final approval, while single licences remain valid until final approval is obtained.

Final certification reports assess the technical gambling system effectively used by each operator.

Operators must present their final certification reports within a non-extendable period of four months to be counted from the date on which they were notified of the resolution to grant a general or provisional single licence. The form and content of certification reports is described in the Resolution of the Directorate General for Gambling Regulation of 6 october 2014.

Once the final certification report has been received and evaluated positively, the Directorate General for Gambling Regulation will give final approval to the technical gambling system.

Change management

The need for dynamic, evolved and modern technical gambling systems requires gambling operators to make changes to their approved technical systems.

Operators must have a certified change management procedure for monitoring changes in the equipment and components of the technical gambling system effectively used.

Operators must send the DGOJ a quarterly report describing the changes made in the period and providing an updated description of the technical system.

According to proportionality criteria, any substantial changes affecting critical components require the DGOJ's prior authorisation following presentation of the corresponding certification report.

In the case of special emergencies affecting the system's security, duly confirmed and reported to the DGOJ, operators may make substantial changes to critical components and obtaining permission afterwards.

Details on change management are set out in Article 10 of the Resolution of the Directorate General for Gambling Regulation of 6 october 2014.

Working papers on approval and certification