Exclusive: Spain draws regulator replacement shortlist
Two state attorneys named as possible replacements for Juan Carlos Alfonso Rubio " deputy general director of gaming management also departs.
A shortlist of two senior legal professionals has been drawn up by Spain’s Ministry of Economy & Finance to replace its recently departed gambling regulator, eGaming Review can reveal, with Carlos Hernández Riera said to be the preferred candidate according to two sources close to the matter.
Hernández Riera has been heavily linked to the position and could be installed by mid-April, with one source calling the move “a political appointment”. “This has not yet been confirmed by the official state bulletin”, the source added. “I think he will be join in mid-April after Easter, and in the meantime Laura Minguitos will continue to hold the role.”
Juan Carlos Alfonso Rubio resigned from his role at the regulatory body last week with immediate effect, with civil servant Minguitos stepping in as his interim replacement. At the time a source told eGaming Review that Alfonso’s departure could lead to further delays in the opening of the market, already put back six months by the newly-elected El Partido Popular government, while a replacement is found: “This now creates a situation of uncertainty that we could do without in the run-up to regulating the market,” the source explained.
While Hernández Riera is thought to be the most likely candidate, having been widely discussed among leading lawyers in Spain, eGR understands that fellow state attorney Carlos Montes is also in the running and is known to have met Alfonso to discuss the position.
Meanwhile, eGR has also learned that Miguel Ordozgoiti, the deputy general director of gaming management responsible for technical compliance, has also left the regulatory authority and will be replaced by Jaime Lorenzo, a state attorney who previously worked for the Spanish Treasury.
Despite the upheaval however, a source claims the process is unlikely to be scrapped and start again from scratch: “I don’t know if they are going to review the whole thing; probably not, as a lot of the work they have done will have been done correctly, but they may implement some new procedures which will mean a more in-depth review of overall compliance with tax obligations and technical requirements.
“Although it is a political appointment it is a very technical role, so there is no reason to totally review the procedures with a view to restarting them,” the source explained.
Following his departure from the Spanish regulatory body, eGR has also learned that Juan Carlos Alfonso will join the Spanish institute for foreign trade, El Instituto Español de Comercio Exterior (ICEX).