Big names looking to enter Spanish online casino gambling market

Spain has been in a similar position as the US recently regarding their online gambling laws. The Spanish government, however, is moving quicker towards correcting their European Union violations and legalizing online gambling in the country.

That effort has prompted two of the biggest online gaming operators in the world to begin negotiations for licensing deals. The two companies are trying to get a piece of the nearly fifty million potential customers in the Spanish market.

"If an online gaming company wants to grow, certainly the Spanish Internet gambling market would be one to go after,' said observer Kelly Gray, "next to the US, the Spanish market could end up being one of the biggest online gambling markets in the world."

The US market is considered to be the biggest in the world, even though online gambling is currently illegal in the country. Lawmakers in the US are also working on developing a legalized, regulated Internet gambling industry.

Should the US market open up, it would be likely that many current land based casino companies would get preferential treatment when it comes to licensing. There will be pressure, however, to license some foreign companies to keep up with European Union commitments.