Another Year Without New Gaming Halls and Slot Machines in Alicante

For another year, licenses will not be granted to open gaming and recreational halls or to install type B slot machines in hospitality establishments in the province of Alicante. The Consell has approved a decree law extending the suspension period for new authorizations throughout the Comunitat.

The extension is due to the regional government's need to complete technical and regulatory work, affected by the DANA, aimed at evaluating this sector. The flood that hit Valencia halted essential administrative services for the management, control, and inspection of the sector.

Moreover, key studies to support future sector planning have not been undertaken. These studies aim to diagnose the territory and assess the social and public health impact of gaming facilities. Therefore, the decree law states that the suspension will remain until the new regional regulation comes into force or, at most, for a year.

Consequently, the Generalitat considers the extension of the deadline "justified" to complete the affected technical and training work and to comprehensively evaluate the existing machines and venues to implement a "balanced and coherent" model.

The measure will not affect licenses that have already been granted or those whose applications were registered before the new decree came into effect. The Consell explains that the precautionary measure is "temporary and justified by a force majeure situation."

The decree amends the tenth transitional provision of Law 1/2020 regulating gaming in the Valencian Community, which already foresaw an initial five-year moratorium. Now, this new suspension extends the period by up to an additional year to ensure balanced sector planning, based on evidence and with guarantees for consumer protection.