“Spain has taken an important step, but this regulation might have been done better”

What advantages does a regulated market present for the user?
It essentially brings legal and banking security to the person that will be able to make bets, play poker or casino in a secure environment.

Which is the current situation of the regulatory process? When will everything be ready?
We are currently in the period of license application. All the operators wishing to enter the Spanish market will have to send all the documents demanded by the regulator from November 19 to December 14. The General Direction will have six months to issue its resolution, but many licenses will probably be granted in January 2012.

Do you think regulation is good? What does the sector think?
I think it is always good news when a market is regulated, because, in many occasions, the user is helpless before the bad practice of some operators. Spain has taken an important step, but this regulation might have been done better. The main errors that have been committed have been to ban cross-matching bets (among users), ban slots that have restrained considerably the entrance of casinos to the regulated market or organize international cash flow, something very important in poker, because it essentially depends on the number of players. Taxes are also too high. So, considering all these factors, I give this new regulation a 6.

What will be the consequences in both the short term and the long term?
Mainly, an exodus of professional players will occur, because they are going to countries with more flexible gambling laws, such as US or Malta, or to states without an online regulation, like Portugal.
It is also foreseeable that the sportsbook fees will experiment a decrease and that they will be less attractive, because operators will have to pay big taxes and make great marketing efforts.

What are the sectors that have been more benefited with this regulation?
I think several sectors have been benefitted with the inminent regulation that will come into force. First of all, big operators that comply with all the requirements and have the documentation prepared to operate with the “.es” domain as soon as possible. The Ministry of Economy will also be benefited because it will obtain new incomes that previously were allocated to places such as Malta, Isle of Man or Gibraltar. Finally, new employments will also be created, something very important in an economy with more than 20% of unemployment.

How has the regulatory process been? Have the players’ wishes been considered, as well as the aspirations of the betting houses?
During the regulatory process, the demands from the big operators have been considered,  however, the players’ aspirations have not been taken into account, despite their great utility. However, the collaboration with associations dedicated to people with gambling problems is remarkable.

Will it still be profitable for professional bettors to do it in Spain?
Most think that it will not be profitable. However, doubts will be cleared from January 1 and the weeks after the beginning of the year.

What will happen in the Autonomous Communities that already have a gaming regulation?
It may occur perfectly that a betting house decides to comply with the regulation of Madrid Council, which is more attractive, from the tax point of view, for the customers of such community, and act with a state license for the rest of the customers. It may happen that users who live in Madrid may obtain better fees than users from other communities without gambling regulation. I think the harmonization of all the regulations, both at a national and at an European level, will take time, but it does not mean that it will not happen.