A more cohesive nation-wide system may soon replace Spain's current gambling policy which allows sovereign provinces to tender licensing agreements as early as next year, in which case taxes would be shared by the central government and the provincial regions. It was reported this week in e-Gaming Review, the online gaming publication that this is the topic that is occupying a prominent place at the meeting between the quarterly federal and regional betting and gaming authorities, which took place earlier this week in Barcelona. It featured prominently on the agenda of that meeting. The LAE (the National Gaming Commission), apparently had senior representatives there from the Home Affairs Ministry, the Spanish tax authorities, the Ministry of Industry and the gaming offices of all of Spain’s seventeen regions, all of whom were involved in the discussions. Legal Link, a Spanish legal firm sent Xavier Munoz, who is a betting and gaming law specialist, who told e-Gaming Review that the fair distribution of any taxes deriving from a regulatory regime, in addition to advertising controls, maintaining compatibility with European Union laws not to mention the protection of vulnerable player groups, was the number one thing on the minds of delegates. With reference to the latter, there was suggested a central registry of self excluding and excluded problem players, including the requirement that licensed operators be required to access this database so as to make sure that all problem gamblers remained barred from betting. Regarded as important was the stringent enforcement of a potential regulatory regime, along with the mandatory prosecution of anyone operating in the Spanish market without proper authority. A new era in Spanish online gambling was brought on by this week's discussions, which represented a firm commitment to regulation in place of prohibition, presumably to be followed by a detailed consultation including a drafting process that envisages a system being in place by 2009. In addition to the French attempts to open up previously restricted markets, the Spanish decision should be soon as being and representing significant development for the industry. The Spanish federal and regional authorities will again meet in the autumn, by which time the drafting process should have begun in earnest. Posted on: July 19, 2008
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