The Ministry of Consumer Affairs published the sanctions executed during the first half of 2022 against online gambling companies, affecting 53 companies.
Slightly less than half of them, 21 received severe infractions, which entail their disqualification for two years and the closure of their websites, according to the Gambling Regulation Law.
Among the companies sanctioned with severe infractions, a list found on the Consumers’ website, are Famagousta B.V., Purple Rain N.V., Abundantia B.V., Momus 20006 N.V., and Cracjerjack Entertainment Limited, among others. In total, they will have to pay fines totaling 84.3 million.
Among those sanctioned for severe infractions, which do not imply the suspension of activity or the closure of their web portals, are significant companies in the sector such as Codere -already fined for the same procedure in 2021-, Betfair and 888sport. The cost of the fines for these companies will exceed €4 million, as stated by the ministry.
Among the causes of the sanctions, the ministry gives as an example the case of operators who offer activities related to gambling without the corresponding enabling title, or those who allow people who were banned to play, while knowing about such prohibitions.
In 2021, Consumer Affairs sanctioned 19 operators in the online betting and gambling sector and imposed fines amounting to more than €58 million since the enforcement of the amendment to the Gambling Regulation Law.
This last change established, among other things, the obligation of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs to make public the final sanctioning resolutions imposed by administrative means. In addition, the reform approved last October reinforced the control over the manipulation of sports competitions and betting fraud and extended the protection of gamblers at risk and the prevention of addictive behaviors.
Alberto Garzón, the crusader
The Minister of Consumer Affairs, Alberto Garzón, published a message on social networks to mark the start of the World Cup in Qatar, in an attempt to claim a medal for the absence of advertising by bookmakers.
The leader of Izquierda Unida boasted on Twitter of “protecting” the youth. Specifically, he stressed that Spain will not have gambling and betting advertising in this World Cup. “The population and the youth will finally be protected,” he wrote on his Twitter account, at the start of the World Cup on Sunday, although he said that the World Cup “has raised a lot of controversies. Hardly surprising.
A statement that raised a lot of criticism because the minister has not criticized the human rights violations that have occurred in the Arab country, and the conditions under which the country was chosen as host, but spoke of “controversies”. In fact, tweeters have assured, with much irony, that they are now calmer after Garzón’s statement.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2022/11/22/65113-spain-fines-codere–betfair-and-888sport-for-noncompliance-with-the-gaming-regulation-law
