Thursday, December 07, 2006

Following the lead of Great Britain, Spain is the latest country to embrace
online gambling and it is only a matter of time before the United States
does so to....or we can dream it does. According to IGamingBusiness,
Madrid's regional government is set to regulate gaming through the
introduction of licenses. "The move comes in the wake of Italy's decision to
regulate gaming, which prompted a flood of applications from UK bookmakers
and online companies such as Ladbrokes, William Hill and Gala Coral, who are
also expected to bid for licenses in Madrid along with Sportingbet and
PartyGaming in the online sector. "Madrid's regional government announced
that it was allowing minimum ?1 bets in games locations as well as telephone
and online bets, covering sports and other competitions, as well as allowing
internet bets on bingo and casino games. "The licenses will last for five
years and be renewable if the Madrid regulator's conditions are met. The
announcement will also include strict regulations to prevent the
participation of young and mentally ill people.