Nowadays, in Madrid Council, seven companies expect to open this month the license that will allow them to open sports betting houses. In the Vasque Country, other three companies have been granted the licenses within a tender process.
Bettors may do it in two ways: in person or via Internet, according to the gambling regulation approved in 2006 by Madrid government, which is in force since January 2007. This way, six companies have demanded in Madrid the license to commercialize this game in centers, and one of them, for the online mode. With the five-year license, they will open their own centers, set betting points in sports centers or set betting zones in gambling venues.
The design of the centers will depend on the owner. For example, the firm Victoria, which expects to obtain this month an operating license to operate in all of Madrid districts and has been granted one of the licenses in the Vasque Country, aims to open, on the first year, 50 betting centers in Madrid and other 50 in the Vasque Community.
Its centers will be 100 to 400 sqm, divided in four zones, explains its Marketing Director Emma Mateos. Spanish citizens will be able to bet on sport events like tennis, football, horse careers, golf, etc. The minimum bet will be 1 euro in single and 0.20 on a combined bet. The prize will depend, among other factors, on the sport bet. Differences will be from a maximum of 500,000 euros for football up to 10,000 on greyhound careers.
Under-aged and people with gambling problems are the only one forbidden to gamble. The administration will be in charge of the control and any type of infringement on this aspect or a change in the license conditions will be imposed a sanction, from the non-renewal of the license up to economic punishments of up to 600,000 euros.
Online gamblers in Spain participate in bets from worldwide betting houses “from anywhere in the world”, according to the Spanish Association of Internet Bettors.
In an experienced market like England, bets are between the 25 to 30% of the gambling total.