An independent machine operating trade association in Spain’s Catalonia, Europer, held a gala summer dinner for members in Barcelona last week.
The organisation, which represents around 100 operating companies in the province with some big names such as Cirsa’s Unidesa, Novomatic’s GiGames, R Franco, Carfama and Orenes Group, has been in existence since 1989.
Its president, Albert Sola (pictured), said at the dinner: “It is vital that the future regional regulations in Catalonia are framed by the companies in the sector.” He said that the industry should agree on four basic principles, the type of amusement machines that it wanted in Catalonia, the payment systems to be employed in them, whether taxation should be fixed or variable and the industry’s relationship with betting.
Sola referred to the recent decision on the binjocs game that had seen a court rule that this type of game should not be an monopoly. The action, he said, had been led by the association and it showed that the public and private sectors could co-exist.
“Europer is not against any company - nor the administration. It was created to protect the interests of operating companies, in particular to ensure that they are not subjected to unfair competition.”
The membership of Europer is principally engaged in operating AWP machines. Its 100-plus member businesses operate around 11,000 AWPs in Catalonia, employing around 1,000 people.
