Interactive
Spain – Head of DGOJ invites online industry to bet on Ceuta
By Phil - 24 October 2019
The Head of the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) Juan Espinosa García has said that he believes that online gambling “has a great future prospects”, as “by the year 2024 regulated online gaming will generate more than 70,000m worldwide, while currently it is in the 40s, so in a few years we will witness a great growth.”
Espinosa García was speaking at “Bet on Ceuta”, the first online gambling conference to be held in the small Spanish enclave. Ceuta is vying to become a technological centre through tax incentives. The government hopes that companies dedicated to the online gaming sector will find a favourable environment to settle in the city and a number of online gaming companies have already moved their operations there. Casino de Barcelona has moved the headquarters of its online gaming division, as have Luckia Games, Suertia and Mondobets who have also opted to benefit from tax incentives offered by the Spanish city.
During his speech the head of the DGOJ said that The National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC), an entity that promotes and defends proper functioning of all markets, in the interest of consumers and businesses, has found that that gambling is the fourth sector or channel with the most influence and prospects in electronic commerce. In addition he emphasised the advances made in technology in the gaming sector and the increasingly important role Ceuta will have on the online gambling market in Spain.
“We should insist on taking advantage of the opportunity offered by all these technological tools and applications. And in this way, we will greatly improve the work that needs to be done, towards an increasingly responsible and increasingly sustainable gaming industry”.
“Bet on Ceuta” brought together not only professionals from the online gaming sector but also experts in taxation, tourism and law. Among the speakers besides Espinosa García, was the general director of Taxation of the Ministry of Finance, María José Garde.
Ceuta now offers just ten per cent tax on profits made in Spain, half the corporation tax for the first two years as well as other major incentives. Ceuta is located on the south of the Strait of Gibraltar. It has an area of 20 km2 and a population of 85,000 people.
