Madrid approves decree on betting and gambling premises
Spain’s capital has approved a new community decree that introduces a minimum distance between gaming establishments.
Spain.- The city council in Madrid has approved a community decree that aims to reduce the saturation of gaming venues in the Spanish capital. The decree, which was unanimously approved, overrides current laws to introduce a minimum 300m distance requirement between all gaming and betting premises across the city’s 21 districts.
Gambling premises, which are defined to include betting operators, gaming arcades, casinos and bingo halls, must also be at least 100m away from schools, universities and recreation centres for young people. Meanwhile, the city council will centralise the power to grant licences to gaming venues, taking this away from in the individual districts.
According to Madrid’s registry of businesses, there are currently 685 gambling premises in the city, comprising some 480 gaming arcades, 160 bookmakers, 33 bingo halls and four casinos.
Spanish online gaming revenue fell 4.2% in 2021
The Spanish gambling regulator, the Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ), has published gaming revenue and stakes figures for 2021, showing a decline in online gambling revenue despite a rise in stakes. Online gaming revenue fell 4.2 per cent year-on-year to €815m but stakes were up across all verticals.
There may have been concern that a decline in revenue was related to Spain’s new advertising restrictions, but with stakes up by 25 per cent and deposits up 216 per cent at €2.77bn, it appears to be more a result of trading.
However, online casino overtook sports betting for the first time with revenue rising by 16 per cent to €407.1m. Slots accounted for €241.4m (up 23 per cent), live roulette revenue €120.6m (up 18.6 per cent), blackjack €23.2m (down 5.7 per cent) and RNG roulette €22m (down 27.2 per cent). Total casino stakes rose by 50 per cent year-on-year to €13.6bn.
Operator marketing spend fell by just 0.9 per cent in a year that saw the introduction of new advertising restrictions for gambling operators in Spain. Football sponsorship was banned at of the start of the current season and TV and radio advertising was limited to between 1am and 5am.
