While the U.S. Department of Justice continues its effort to weed out online poker in the States, many countries in the European Union are opening their doors to online gambling operators with new regulation systems in place.
According to a report by eGaming Review, Casino Gran Madrid, which hosted this year’s European Poker Tour (EPT) Grand Final, has received Spain’s first online gaming license from the autonomous region of Madrid. The land-based casino received the license on May 17 and is now certified to offer poker, blackjack, roulette and slots on its website, which will launch soon and be powered by PlayTech software.
“Casino Gran Madrid has always been committed to innovation and this time we could not do less,” said Jorge Casanova, director of information systems at Casino Gran Madrid. “Casino Gran Madrid will continue to operate under one brand because our aim is to leverage synergies for our customers, and remain true to our core values that have guided our performance — professionalism, rigor, experience, transparency, security — and with a software certified by official laboratories.”
Earlier this month, Spain’s Congress approved amendments made by the Senate to its Gambling Act, paving the way for the country to regulate online gambling within its borders. The new rules will establish a tax regime licensing system for operators wishing to operate in Spain, as well as a number of safeguards to protect minors and problem gamblers.
The online casino will only accept players from Madrid over the age of 18, and anyone barred from playing games at Casino Gran Madrid’s land-based casino will be excluded from the website as well.
A casino spokesperson said that beta testing on the proposed site will take place over the next few weeks. The gaming software will undergo more than 200 million simulated plays during the certification process, which will ensure that the servers can handle the traffic and to check for any technical issues or potential security problems. If the testing goes well, the site could be online for players later this summer.
Playtech signed a licensing agreement to provide its casino and poker platform to Casino Gran Madrid in March 2009. Playtech is best known in online poker circles for powering the iPoker Network, which is currently the third-ranked online poker room in terms of traffic according to PokerScout.com. Sites that reside on the iPoker Network include Titan Poker, William Hill Poker, Bet365 Poker, and Betfred Poker.
Playtech’s chief executive officer, Mor Weizer, said: “We are delighted to have secured this agreement with one of Europe’s largest and most respected land based operators. We expect this to be a significantly value accretive relationship, exemplifying our strategy to increase the number of regulated markets in which we operate.”
Spain’s new online gambling regime would join those already introduced in a series of other EU countries in recent years, including France, Italy and Estonia. Denmark was also prepared to introduce a new licensing system this year, but the legislation has been delayed.
