Andalusia to Legalise Sports Betting in Land-based Venues

The Regional Government of Andalusia has finally decided to allow sports betting in brick and mortar gambling venues, becoming the last of 17 autonomous communities in Spain to do so.

Local authorities made the announcement at the fifth annual Andalusia Gaming Conference, held at the Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones de la Costa del Sol.

Antonio Miguel Cervera, Andalusia’s Director General for Heritage, has revealed that he hopes the new legal framework will come in effect in a year’s time.

The gaming market in the region has been on a major downtrend from 2010 and the authorities hope the new laws will help the industry recover in years to come.

Andalusia is currently the only Spanish community that does not allow sports betting, but it appears that local operators’ efforts to change the rules have finally yielded results.

Andalusia’s Gaming Industry to Receive a Welcoming Boost

The state expects to earn around €162 million from the local gaming industry in 2016, compared to €158 million in 2014, but the minor improvement is hardly worth noting when we know that only Extremadura has generated less income than Andalusia from said industry.

This year’s Andalusia Gaming Convention has clearly served its purpose, as the gaming sector in the region that has generated over 12,000 jobs is expected to receive a major boost following the latest developments.

A total of 881 gaming operators are currently active in the region and major player Novomatic has also entered the market in August as they acquired the Aljarafe Gran Casino in Seville.

Seeing as how the Austrian gaming company had previously developed Casino Admiral San Roque in Cadiz, they clearly see Andalusia as a region that will continue to develop in years to come.