Spain: The government of Canarias will regulate Internet betting

The growing gaming practise through television, mobile phones and Internet represent a 15% of this economic activity, which represent 1,600 million euros a year in the islands and report tax incomes of more than 103 million euros for the autonomous governments.

The executive, headed by Paulino Rivero, is already treating the new Law of Games and Draws, which aims to develop a "concise regulation" to "make visible the competence of the Autonomous Community with regards to these games and the demand of the administrative authorization of those games in conditions of legality”. The document has been sent to the Consultation Council to issue a report.

“This new norm will regulate the sector in a more logical way, because it will control activities sich as electronic games, which represent between a 15% and a 20% of the games in Canarias, and also allows a development of the activity that the current law did not allow”, points the President of the Regional Association of Bingo Businessmen (Apebi), Jesús González.

The draft of the Law of Games and Bets of Canarias also establishes the need to call to a public contest as a procedure for the tender not only for the casino installation, but also bingo halls, horse racetracks, etc, “due to the increment of the competition between companies of the sector, among other aspects.”