New Spanish Regulation Creating Market

The Spanish government approved the creation of a regulatory framework for the operation of online casinos in Spain.  As a result of the recent legislation, the new framework is to allow for the full operation of licensed casinos by January of 2012.

Representatives from the online gambling trade association in Spain, AEDAPI, told reporters that they are pleased with the new framework.  However, they also had some criticism for the regulatory framework.  They pointed out two major problems: one is the tax rate, which at 25% of gross profits is quite high.  The second issue is that the legislation does not create a legal framework for all the forms of gaming popular today.  These two issues severely reduce the profitability of any operator who would potentially enter the Spanish market.  The AEDAPI representatives said that they would continue to work with authorities in order to make the market a more worthwhile place for online gaming operators. 

Despite the aforementioned issues, some online gambling companies are already working on acquiring licensing in time for the January 2012 deadline.  One such company, Rank plc., is working on the necessary licensing to launch their new online casino site enRacha.  The site will offer slots, skill games, Spanish card games, poker, table games, and skill games.

The UK company Ladbrokes that operates various subsidiary online casinos all over the world, is also working to enter the Spanish market.  They will use Microgaming software for their new Spanish-language site LBApuestas.  The site is expected to launch right after the licensing deadline at the beginning of next year.  After recent inroads into the South African market, Ladbrokes next big moves are in the Spanish market, due to the new legislation, and Denmark, due to the new tax incentives.