Head of Spanish gambling regulator departs
Carlos Hernandez Rivera vacates role after more than four years at the DGOJ with a replacement set to be named in the coming days
The head of Spain’s gambling regulator, Carlos Hernandez Rivera, has stepped down from his role after more than four years at the regulatory body, it was announced this weekend.
Hernandez Rivera had worked as director general of La Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ) since June 2013 having previously been appointed deputy director general at the Ministry of Finance in April 2012.
Prior to joining the DGOJ, he also worked as a government lawyer at the Spanish National Court.
“After the deliberation of the Council of Ministers at its meeting on 11 November 2016, I have come to arrange the resignation of Mr. Carlos Hernández Rivera as director general,” Minister of Finance and Public Administrations, Cristobal Montoro Romero, said.
According to EGR sources, a replacement for Hernandez Rivera could be announced before the end of this week.
Hernandez Rivera’s departure comes after the regulator last week revealed Spain’s online gambling market had grown 22% year-on-year during Q3 2016 following double-digit growth in casino and sports betting revenues.
According to figures from the DGOJ, total gross gaming revenue (GGR) for the three months ended 30 September was 102.9m, up from 84.2m in the same period last year.