Ladbrokes Bingo in Spain

Ladbrokes bingo in Spain has effectively been given the go-ahead thanks to Sportium, a joint venture between Ladbrokes and Cirsa Slot Corporation SL, being given a licence to operate sports betting in the Madrid region.

Sportium is planning to start operating in Madrid in the next few weeks, and the first shop will be located in a bingo hall near the Bernebau stadium. Initially the focus will be on sports betting, with football betting expected to generate the largest turnover. Horse racing, handball and indoor football are all popular in Spain and also likely to be prominent business producers.

Although the emphasis is on sports betting, some bingo industry insiders have speculated that the new licence will also give Ladbrokes a chance to establish an early position should Spanish online bingo become as popular as it is in the UK and other countries.

Alan Ross, who is Managing Director of the European Retail division of Ladbrokes, said: “Through Sportium we will be operating our first betting shops in Spain in the coming days. Other Spanish regions are considering a similar licensing process and we hope to build Sportium into one of the leading betting brands in Spain."

Over at Cirsa Slot, Director Pablo Alcalá said: “We have been operationally ready for some time so we are pleased to now have the licence to begin taking bets. The Spanish market has enormous potential and we are sure Sportium can become a major player as the market develops."

Sportium plans to open 20 more outlets weeks after the first shop opens, and by the end of 2008 they anticipate a total of up to 70 outlets in operation.

Ladbrokes has gone from strength to strength in the UK, and has already proven that it has what it takes to deliver a great service. Similarly, Cirsa Slot is one of the world’s leading gaming companies with experience in casino gaming as well as slots and bingo. With that kind of background, the Sportium venture looks set to succeed on a massive scale, and one day you may well find yourself regularly playing online bingo with a glass of Sangria in your hand.

23rd April 2008