Days after the publication of a new decree that adds further restrictions and controls on gambling in Spain, SELAE has signed two sponsorship deals with sports federations.
The draft includes new amendments to the Royal Decree on Advertising, including the ban on betting sponsorships across all professional sports leagues.
Last week, the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) sent the draft to the European Commission in Brussels. If approved, this regulation would affect all private operators in the country, but it excludes state lottery operators ONCE and SELAE.
The SELAE commission in charge of agreements signed a deal with the Spanish Ball Federation for €35,000, and another with the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation for €50,000.
Questioned by private operators on whether the decree is discriminatory, DGOJ Director General Mikel Arana said that “this is not a matter of favorable treatment.”
“The Decree will develop and strengthen Spain’s Gambling Law, which defines the operating conditions for different types of games and operators, it’s as simple as that.”
“I would ask football clubs why they don’t see a conflict of interest in bookmakers sponsoring sports competitions? This conflict is obvious, in the same way, that athletes cannot place bets on their sports competitions. It is so evident that it does not hold even 30 seconds of discussion,” he said.
