Conference on AWP machine ban

The disastrous ban on AWP machines in bars in the Spanish region of Valencia continues to resonate in the local press after a campaign led by local supplier and operator Fidel Molina of Comatel.

A conference is now to be held by the newly-formed SOS Hospitality Association, a new trade organisation set up to fight the closures in Valencia. The conference will be on July 21 and will feature representatives of the hospitality, tourism, beverage distribution, media and operators and is intended to evaluate the future of the sector in the region and how to move forward.

The new law in Valencia will principally ban AWPs in bars, despite the fact that many will be forced to close without that income. It is estimated that 6 per cent of the community’s GDP comes from the hospitality sector and that there are 35,000 venues affected by the new regulation.