Spain Details of Online Gambling Licenses

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Some of the leading online gambling operators had already issued press advisories stating that they had received gaming licenses from the regulator in Spain. However, that was just the tip of the iceberg. The online gambling industry was interested in the complete details of what is being perceived as the most important event since the Italian market was regulated. Therefore the Spanish Ministry of the Interior issued an advisory giving the break up of the licenses awarded.

The statement revealed that the Spanish regulator had issued 277 licenses to 53 online gaming companies till date. Of these, 91 were general licenses and 186 were unique licenses. 3 general license and 5 unique license applications submitted by two companies are pending. 2 license applications have been rejected. Details were not provided for the pending and rejected applications. Of the 186 unique licenses issued, 27 pertain to online poker, 26 to online bingo, 31 to online roulette, 19 to the point and bank, 28 to online blackjack, 7 for additional games, 8 to horse racing, 17 to sports betting, 4 to mutual horse racing, 1 to mutual sports betting and 9 to others. In a departure from other national regulators, Spain has broken down online casino licenses by games. 26 licenses were issued to experienced gaming operators and 27 licenses to new market entrants.

The Spanish Ministry took the opportunity to warn errant operators that they would face severe penalties if they illegally participated in the new market. The penalties could be as high as €50 million and in addition the online gambling web sites would be shut down.

Finance Secretary of State, Michael Ferre, and the Director General of Game Planning, Enrique Alejo said that though the licensed operators could go live from June 5, they would have to ensure technical compliance and obtain systems approvals within six months. Responsible gambling will be a focus issue of the Spanish online gambling market. The General Planning Directorate General has launched a "Play Safe" campaign to emphasize this. Bettors and gamblers have been asked to ensure that their chosen operators display the "Play Safe" logo on their web sites. An official advertising Code of Conduct is in the process of being finalized and will be released later this week. Advertising by licensed online gambling operators will be permitted, subject to following the code. Revenues earned from the newly legislated online gambling sector will be ploughed back into public funds and social activities.

An announcement from Betfair that it had obtained a Spanish online gambling license was the other related big news. The license covered sports book and casino products. Betfair said it had reached a €10 million settlement with Spanish authorities in order to get the license.

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