Author: Renee Israel
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Spain is a European country that when faced with the choice of either
embracing online gambling or banning it, chose the former, becoming one of a
growing number of European Union (EU) states to recognize the benefits of
legalizing, regulating and thus taxing the popular online activity. It seems
Spanish lawmakers looked to the UK for inspiration in terms of legitimizing its
online gambling industry. As such, like the UK, the Spanish government will
issue online gambling licenses, which operators must apply for and be granted in
order to target Spanish online gambling fans.
The Spanish government could have handled the issue of online gambling in many
ways. It could have followed the examples of countries such as the United
States, and closer to home, Germany that have chosen to ban the practice. In
doing so, those countries have simply forced their online gamblers 'underground'
and created a new generation of 'lawbreakers.' But instead, Spain has recognized
that it cannot stop its citizens from gambling online if they want. So it
decided to regulate its online gambling industry by licensing its online
gambling operators, and in doing so generating millions of Euros in taxes levied
on online gambling revenues.
Hence, the Spanish government has started granting operators with online
gambling licenses that are valid for five years. And only provided they can
prove to the government that they are adhering to the strict controls and
regulations put in place designed to prevent minors and mentally unstable people
from gambling online, will their licenses be renewed. Although Spain has taken a
liberal stance where its online gambling legislation is concerned, it seems set
on ensuring that its online gambling industry is strictly monitored and
controlled.
There is a hope that thanks to Spanish online gambling legislation, the
Spanish government will generate billions of Euros in much-needed taxes every
year. It is a win win situation, because Spain's pro-online gambling stance will
attract the world's largest and most reputable online gambling firms, which
means that Spanish online gambling fans will be able to gamble online on many of
the safest, most secure and most lucrative online gambling websites in the
world.
Posted by Renee Israel at 10:48 on 25 January 2010
