Andalusia gov't green lights sports betting

Local authorities made the announcement last week at the Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones de la Costa del Sol in Torremolinos, where the gaming conference was being held. Antonio Miguel Cervera, Director General for Heritage of the regional government, said that within a year the new rules would be in place, according to the report.

Located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, Andalusia is the most populated and the second largest territory of the autonomous communities in Spain and is divided into eight provinces.

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The hope is that the new rules will help the local gaming industry’s continued recovery from decreases in revenue experienced between 2010 and 2014 when revenues fell between 40 to 51 percent

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Up until now, Andalusia was the only government that did not allow sports betting. According to the news agency, local industry insiders, who for approximately five years have been lobbying for local gaming rules to be changed, welcomed the news.

Compared to €158m in 2014, this year, the local gaming industry is expected to generate €162.6m for the state, according to data provided by the conference organizers. The declines experienced during 2010 and 2014 only began to slow last year.

Andalusia ranks second to last after Extremadura, another autonomous community of Spain located in the western Spanish region, regarding the amount of income generated by the gaming industry, according to the President of the Andalusia Association of Retailers and distributors of Gaming Machines (ACODISA).

He said that sports betting has been “a new a new line of business that is working and working well in all regions except in Andalusia, the only autonomous region that has prevented their establishment,” as reported by the news agency.