EXCLUSIVE | FERNANDO HENAR applauds the arrival of electronic bingo in Murcia: "It helps venues to compete in an increasingly digitized market"

The president of the Spanish Confederation of Bingo Game Organizations (CEJ), Fernando Henar, has exclusively assessed for Infoplay the bingo reform approved by the Region of Murcia, which introduces electronic bingo in its two modalities. "The approval of electronic bingo in the Region of Murcia, in its two versions, in 'Network' and in 'Room', is excellent news," says Henar, who recalls that "from the CEJ we have been promoting this type of modality for years" and that Murcia "joins 10 other autonomous communities where they are already being applied."

The leader underlines the role of technology as the axis of the reform: "In both cases, new technologies are put at the service of gambling, with special attention to security, traceability and the improvement of the offer".

Regarding electronic bingo on the Internet (BER), Henar highlights that "it allows games to be offered through the real-time interconnection of different establishments", a possibility that, in his opinion, "increases the attractiveness of the prizes and favours a more dynamic pace of play". As for electronic bingo hall (BES), he considers that "it has established itself as a necessary evolution for the sector, combining the social experience of traditional bingo with the technological advantages that optimise the management of the room, allowing to play in the same game with both physical and electronic cards".

The president of the employers' association also highlights the value of the new prize architecture: "The improvement of gaming structures, especially in relation to the distribution and return of prizes, provides an additional attraction and contributes to offering a more positive experience for users". And he summarises the scope of the reform as follows: "Electronic bingo makes it possible to modernise the offer, improve the operational efficiency of establishments and offer a user experience that is more adapted to current times. All this helps bingo halls to compete in better conditions within an increasingly digitalised gaming market".

The keys to Decree 164/2026

The CEJ's assessment comes after the approval of Decree 164/2026, of September 10, published on Friday, September 18 in the Official Gazette of the Region of Murcia, which modifies the Bingo Game Regulations, the Catalog of Games and Bets and the composition of the regional Gaming and Betting Commission . The rule will enter into force 20 days after its publication.

The reform differentiates two modalities, both complementary to traditional bingo and which cannot be authorised exclusively: electronic bingo, developed through terminals and managed by one or more companies authorised as a Distribution Network, and electronic bingo hall, organised by the owner company itself and compatible with physical and electronic cards in the same game. The text eliminates automatic bingo as a differentiated modality, and the halls that have this authorisation will have one year to adapt.

The great novelty is the interconnection of Murcian electronic bingo with rooms in other autonomous communities. The connection will be made between the central servers of the approved systems and will require administrative authorization, in addition to reports that prove the correct distribution of prizes, the security of the connection and the traceability of the games, which will allow sharing games and offering common prizes of greater scope.

In electronic bingo, the cards will be sold at the value set by the authorised company, with a maximum of 6 euros. Each game will last a minimum of 30 seconds and the winning combinations, configurable by the company, must be communicated to the competent body seven days in advance. The percentage allocated to prizes may not be less than 80% of what is played in each quarter, with a minimum of 40% per game, and the prizes may be paid in cash, by cheque or transfer, or charged to the balance of the player's electronic account .

The electronic bingo hall will allow you to play simultaneously with physical and digital cards, with values of 2, 3, 5, 6 or 10 euros and integrated into series of 174,948 units – 120,000 for physical printing and 54,948 for electronic terminals – without two cards with the same combination being able to match. The prizes will receive 75% of the face value of the cards sold in each game, divided between line (5%-15%), bingo (30%-60%) and accumulated purse (10%-40%).

The regulation also incorporates the prizes of Bonus, Special Bonus, Banked Prize, Extra Bingo and Accumulated Bingo. The bonuses may reach 5,000 euros; the Benched Bingo Award and Extra Bingo, 6,000 euros; and the Accumulated Bingo will have a maximum endowment of 10,000 euros.

In terms of control, the technical systems must allow the Murcian Administration to consult in real time the cards sold and cancelled, the amounts played, the winning combinations, the winning cards, the amounts paid and the percentage allocated to prizes, and have room servers, central server, communications server, cash system and verification mechanisms. The Administration may block the central server, the room servers or the terminals in the event of reasonable indications of a very serious infringement. Companies that operate as a Distribution Network must provide a bond of 30,000 euros and their authorizations will be valid for ten years, renewable for equal periods.

The decree also reinforces the protection of the player: the rooms must maintain an admission service at all their entrances and identify and register as many users as they enter, even if they do not get to play, either through personnel or approved systems, and deny access to minors and people registered in the register of prohibitions. Advertising communications by email or equivalent means may only be sent when the recipient has expressly requested or authorised them.

Finally, the regulation incorporates for the first time a representative of the betting business associations in the Gaming and Betting Commission of the Region of Murcia, which will also maintain the representatives of casinos, bingo halls, arcade machine companies, manufacturers of gaming equipment, unions, consumers and addiction care entities, and which will meet at least once a year.