ALACA president urges updated betting rules to protect Castilla y León operators

Luis Miguel Cabeza de Vaca, president of the Asociación de Licenciatarios de Apuestas Deportivas de Castilla y León (ALACA), called for urgent updating of the region's betting regulations and for conditions that would allow companies to remain viable, at a press conference ahead of the Congreso de Castilla y León.

Cabeza de Vaca said maintaining establishments open across the nine provinces of a large region with a dispersed population presents difficulties. He said the rules require a territorial presence, which obliges operators to bear fixed staffing and operating costs regardless of customer numbers.

The ALACA president also asked for progress on authorising payment methods that are legally permitted in other commercial activities. In his view, land-based gambling should not be left out of the evolution of transactions, particularly as it is a legal activity subject to administrative control.

He also said the regulations pending after legislative changes need updating. Cabeza de Vaca warned that a new law entering into force without the corresponding implementing regulations could create a situation of "alto riesgo operativo" for companies.

He argued for a framework that provides legal certainty for investment and allows the service to be provided with means suited to current conditions. ALACA reiterated its support for the Junta de Castilla y León in its defence of land-based gambling before the Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego, and said it favoured a balance between freedom of enterprise, individual freedom and user protection.