La Rioja proposes €795.91 fee to authorise casino games in bingos and gaming halls

The Government of the Autonomous Community of La Rioja proposes a new fee of €795.91 for certain administrative authorisations to allow casino games in bingo halls and gaming arcades without a licence for such games. The amount appears explicitly in Rate 9.15, under tariff 3.2.4 for bingo halls and tariff 3.3.2 for gaming arcades.

## What the draft provides for Rate 9.15 and the fee €795.91 La Rioja

The document submitted by the Government of La Rioja incorporates the tariff change within the chapter on administrative actions concerning games of chance, betting or gambling. The proposal sets the amount at €795.91 per authorisation in the cases indicated and locates it in tariff references 3.2.4 (bingo halls) and 3.3.2 (gaming arcades). The measure is part of the package of fiscal and administrative measures proposed for the 2027 fiscal year.

The budget report does not include a calculation of revenue associated with this change. The Dirección General de Control Presupuestario (General Directorate for Budgetary Control) notes that the managing body responsible for the proposal did not estimate the annual number of authorisations that will be processed, and therefore the budgetary impact is recorded as €0 under the heading of potential additional revenue.

## Technical scope: who the fee €795.91 La Rioja affects

The provision applies exclusively to administrative authorisations to permit the holding of casino games in two types of establishments:

• bingo halls that, according to the draft, do not hold a licence for certain casino games (tariff 3.2.4),

• gaming arcades that do not hold a licence for those games (tariff 3.3.2).

The report text specifies the amount per administrative authorisation; it does not describe in the report any additional recurring charges or changes to other taxes or fees in the sector. By integrating these tariffs into Rate 9.15, the draft places them within the scope of administrative actions on games of chance managed by the regional administration.

## Budgetary data and control observations

The absence of an estimated volume of authorisations is the declared reason why the Dirección General de Control Presupuestario recorded no positive economic impact in the accounts. The report records this objection: the managing body did not present a forecast of the number of files that could be generated, and therefore the potential additional revenue is reflected as zero in the corresponding budget line.

This procedure is common in early stages of draft bills when new fees are introduced and there are no reliable historical series to project activity. In this case, the budget report limits the quantification of the economic effect to the documentation available in the file.

## Practical implications for operators and licence holders

For companies owning bingo halls and gaming arcades, the measure will mean that, where a specific administrative authorisation is required to introduce casino games, the applicable fee would be €795.91 per authorisation. The draft does not clarify concrete administrative deadlines or additional operational provisions related to processing; those details depend on the final text of the law and on any implementing regulations adopted by the Autonomous Community.

Operators should monitor the draft’s progress through the upcoming parliamentary stages and review the final articles and administrative ordinances that specify the procedures for application, payment and justification of the fee.

## Regulatory context and next steps in La Rioja

The fee appears in the budgetary report of the Draft Law of Fiscal and Administrative Measures of La Rioja for 2027, published as part of the pre-legislative procedure prior to submitting the bill to the regional parliament. The document was released on 15 October 2026, the date on which the proposed change was made public.

Final approval and entry into force will depend on the regional legislative process: amendments, sectoral reports and publication of the consolidated text. Meanwhile, the amount and its placement in Rate 9.15 remain a formal proposal in the draft law.

## How to follow the legislative process and where to find the document

The budget report itself contains the proposed tariffs and the observations of the Dirección General de Control Presupuestario; interested parties should consult the draft bill file to access the full text. Professionals in the sector can monitor regulatory developments in specialised sections such as [regulation](/regulation) and in parliamentary notices, and should review official calls and documentation published by the Autonomous Community.

For specific coverage of regulation and licensing, the professional sector typically consults the regulation and news sections, where tariff and administrative changes are detailed; suppliers and consultancies that work with gaming venue operators also review the draft bill documentation to assess compliance costs.