Spanish Gaming Business Council Fears “Unfair Competition” from Online Slots Sites

The Spanish gambling authority wants to allow online slots, but land-based venues fear the competition.

Earlier this month, the Spanish Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGRG) announced it was planning to submit a draft bill to local lawmakers, proposing changes to the current Spanish gambling laws which would allow slot games and exchange betting on the online casino market.

But the Spanish Gaming Business Council (CEJUEGO) has already spoken out against the new measures, claiming that bringing slot games to online gambling sites in Spain would be “enormously damaging to the gaming industry as a whole”.

Land-based gambling industry soaring

After being forwarded to local authorities, the draft ministerial order will be available on the DGRG’s website, as the institution is waiting to hear comments and suggestions from industry members. Having several land-based gambling companies as members, the CEJUEGO has already verbalized its objections to the bill.

Alejandro Landaluce, director of CEJUEGO, commented: “The approval of the law would create an insurmountable level of unfair competition for land-based gaming companies, which are heavily regulated and controlled by the autonomous communities to ensure a clean and safe [environment] for responsible gamblers.”

Under the bill, new operators will be allowed to enter the market, although the Spanish gambling industry is not very appealing at the moment. Profits have been dropping during the last three quarters.