Sports betting: an economic development model that is growing in Puerto Rico

It was the expression of the general manager of Casino Metro, Ismael Vega, during his participation in the Casinos, Sport Betting and Online Gaming conference of the Next: Puerto Rico Tourism Summit 2023 at the Puerto Rico Convention Center. In addition to machine and table games, the casino has today become an entertainment center, which also generates substantial income through tourism, Vega said.

In the case of Casino Metro, the Puerto Rico Gaming Commission authorized its license for in-person sports betting in December 2022 and this past summer they were waiting to offer them digitally with the Caesars company's mobile platform.

Casino del Mar at Hotel La Concha was the first to receive a sports betting license in February 2022 with the celebration of the Super Bowl. “We have diversified from the machine and table game and we have turned the casinos into entertainment centers, adding the lunge area, it is a place,” said Vega.

“We have a gaming division that regulates us. There is no conflict with supervising well and being a facilitator,” Vega added, in turn, about the transparency of the gaming system.

In addition to professional leagues in the United States, players can bet on local leagues, such as the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN), whose 2023 season concluded in July with the Carolina Giants championship.

The Hipódromo Camarero of Puerto Rico, in turn, has been one of the spaces where bets have historically been made and have been extrapolated to small businesses that have machines for this type of games.

“Equestrianism gives the opportunity to small merchants, to those who do not have the capital, to create a large gaming room, to generate income in a regulated and legal environment,” said the vice president of the Hippodrome, María Cristina Mari García.

Mari García shared that around 600 equestrian agencies have been established around the island.

The plays are inspected by the country's Gaming Commission, which has the public responsibility of ensuring compliance with the stipulated betting regulations.

“The commission ensures that there is responsible gaming, that the laws and regulations are complied with. As it is an extremely large economic development model, we are monitoring it so that people have the confidence to feel in a calm and safe environment,” reported the deputy director of the Commission, Juan C. Santaella.

Outside the casino

Escaping from a traditional casino, sports venues also reached spaces such as shopping centers.

 Just starting today, Thursday, at Nuestra Casa in the San Patricio shopping center, in Guaynabo, people will be able to place sports bets, confirming its founder, José “Che” Julio Aparicio.

“By leaving the casinos, leaving the four walls, we have created an economy, also thanks to the fact that we have a geographical advantage,” Aparicio said at the conference, while highlighting the creation of Law 81, which allowed sports betting on the island, and which he assured was created by the people dedicated to the subject.