Kaizen Gaming is preparing for the long-anticipated launch of its flagship Betano sportsbook in Spain.
The Greek betting giant is building up a localised Spanish leadership team to lead a local launch and expansion.
As of 14 July, the licence registry of the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) has updated its regulatory authorization listing Kaizen Gaming XYZ PLC.
The Directorate General approved the corporate re-registration of Kambi Sportsbook PLC to Kaizen Gaming XYZ PLC, transferring an existing online gambling licence to the group.
Through the transfer, Kaizen Gaming has secured a general betting licence, licences covering fixed-odds sports betting and other counterpart betting products, together with authorisation to undertake gambling advertising in Spain.
SBC News has learned that Kaizen Gaming is simultaneously building its local operations in Ceuta, Spain’s established online gambling hub.
An active job listing details that Kaizen is seeking a Managing Director, Spain, to oversee the launch and long-term commercial development of the business, signalling that preparations have moved beyond regulatory approval and into operational execution.
SBC News has reached out to Kaizen for comment on the Spanish market movements.
Betano makes Spain 11th European market
While Kaizen Gaming has yet to confirm an official launch date, the combination of licensing, recruitment and technical preparations linked to the Betano.es domain indicates that Spain is set to become the group’s next major regulated market.
Spain will become Kaizen Gaming’s 11th active European market, extending a footprint led by the Stoiximan brand in its home markets of Greece and Cyprus.
The firm’s remaining European markets are Portugal, Romania, Czechia, Bulgaria, Germany, Denmark, Belgium and the UK.
Across international markets, Kaizen Gaming now operates in 20 regulated jurisdictions, with Spain representing the next chapter of an expansion strategy that has seen Betano establish itself across Europe, Africa and the Americas.
Betano’s success in scaling and securing individual market share across multiple markets has seen it become one of the highest valued brands in iGaming, and viewed as a challenger to many PLCs.
Given Kaizen’s previously adopted strategies, it can be expected that the firm will support its Spanish launch with major commercial partnerships – particularly in football.
A strategy proved successful in the UK, where Betano entered the regulated online gambling market in 2024 through a partnership with BV Group (formerly BetVictor) before significantly raising its profile via a club-record principal sponsorship agreement with Aston Villa FC.
Upon launch, Betano will intensify competition in Spain’s regulated sportsbook sector, where the company will challenge established international operators including bet365, Flutter Entertainment’s Betfair, Entain’s Bwin, 888, and Betsson, alongside home champions Codere, Luckia and Sportium.
Kaizen will hope to replicate the success it has had in Portugal, where Betano has established itself as one of the country’s leading online sportsbooks, competing alongside Betclic for market leadership.
