Alarm in Galicia over the Draft Gambling Law
A few weeks ago the Draft Gambling Law was leaked that in Galicia will have to replace an already outdated law dating from 1985 and the alarms in the sector jumped again. The Galician Association of Operating Companies (AGEO) would have denounced the text as highly restrictive and that, in its opinion, would mean ending face-to-face gambling in a few years. However, from sectors of civil society there is another impression and it would have pointed to the closeness of the gaming bosses with the autonomous government of the Popular Party.
In Galicia, the recently leaked Draft Gambling Law has once again generated controversy in the sector. The game's management has criticized the text harshly. ©gblanco/Pixabay
The employers' association of the sector in Galicia, the Galician Association of Operating Companies (AGEO), would have been very critical of the Draft Gambling Law that was leaked a few weeks ago. The law has been in the crosshairs of industry, civil society associations and political parties for months . The law that has to regulate games and betting in the Galician autonomous community it has been submitted for public exhibition before the European Union until next January 17, according to sources.
Restrictive text and favoritism to publicly owned games
These would have been the main criticisms of the AGEO: a wording that limits the current small and medium operators in the region, and the granting of advantages to state and semi-state lotteries and games such as the ONCE . Although the negotiation channels between the operators' association and the public administration are open, the employers' association predicts difficult times for a sector that has been one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic .
The main point of the controversy would be given by the implicit allusion to the state-wide gaming terminals that could be installed in the local that according to the law and under the autonomous jurisdiction are enabled to practice gambling and betting. The establishments authorized by law are casinos, bingo halls and gambling halls, as well as shops and betting spaces. Also included are those premises in which the practice of the game is allowed, such as the hotel and leisure and entertainment venues.
The fact that state-level gaming terminals that the Draft Law understands as face-to-face gambling can be installed in permitted establishments is what would be considered a tort, since it would be the granting of an important competitive advantage . However, we are surely facing a not exact interpretation of the text of the law when it refers to state-level games where it is necessary to differentiate between reserved and non-reserved games.
In the second article of the aforementioned draft, reference is made to the games that are excluded from the scope of the law , among which the state-wide games reserved as provided for in Law 13/2011 are explicitly mentioned, such as the state-wide lotteries according to the fourth article of said law.
Concessions to face-to-face private gaming venues are also the subject of controversy
The AGEO would also have shown its concern about what it seems would be a limitation of authorizations to private face-to-face gaming premises once the current concessions expire they would not be extended, which would endanger the entire sector. The association of operators would have come to affirm that in a horizon of fifteen years it would have ended with the activities of face-to-face gambling in Galicia.
Currently, in the Autonomous Community of Galicia there are:
- 2 casinos
- 40 betting shops
- 11 bingos
- 115 game rooms
From the public administration it is indicated that there has been a considerable increase in applications for authorization for the installation of gaming premises . Thus, we would have gone from 54 gambling halls in 2013 to over one hundred in 2020, or the 20 betting shops existing in 2013 would have doubled today. This makes it necessary to plan gambling establishments by evaluating the offer and the general interest, as stated in the Preliminary Draft Law. In fact, it is contemplated to limit the number of gambling establishments, casinos and bingos to be installed in the Autonomous Community.
However, the Consello Económico e Social, a consultative entity in socio-economic matters that depends on the Xunta de Galicia itself, he has been very critical of the Draft Bill that, in some way, it would be naturalizing the betting activity and it would not have had enough impact on the problems generated by the impulsive practice of the game .
The Draft Law is still under discussion and we will see at the beginning of next year 2022 how the Galician government's proposal on gambling is concretized.
