Portugal set to regulate online poker by July 10

The law had been due to reach the national assembly first in November 2013 and then again in February of this year.

Minister of the Presidency and of Parliamentary Affairs, Luís Marques Gudeses, mentioned the law during a governmental conference last week and told members of Portugal’s majority that the government is planning to bring the first draft of the law to parliament by July 10 so it can be discussed and voted on.

It is reported that the law could create a similar system to those already in place in a number of other European countries including Italy, Spain and France. A state-controlled gambling authority would be placed in charge of issuing gambling licenses to those operators that wish to offer online games in Portugal and fulfill the requirements set by the law.

Although a draft that was circulated in 2013 suggested that the country had opted to regulate online gambling establishing a state-controlled monopoly run by Santa Casa de Misericórda, the country’s financial position appears to have pushed the government in a more liberal direction. It has been reported that the government opted to alter its plans in order to generate higher tax revenues from online gambling.

Last year, the Portuguese government said that the idea behind the regulation of online gambling formed part of a wider project aimed at boosting tax revenues.