CHANGES AFOOT FOR SPANISH POKER PLAYERS

Spain 7june12Spain has been in the headlines of the poker world this week as the government granted a series of new licenses to operators across the country.

Among the companies awarded eGaming licenses were the likes of Bwin, 888, SportingBet and PokerStars, all of which will be offering online poker games to Spanish players. In the case of PokerStars it is one of several individual licenses that have been obtained across various markets in Europe. Their Spanish only site came into operation yesterday.

They are the first to be welcomed into the new regulated market which allows licensed operators to host online poker for Spanish residents who can only compete against other Spanish players. However, there remains some contention amid the poker community, with issues of tax and other details still to be remedied, issues that have alienated many players.

The International Federation of Poker is not an arbiter of the game, and while IFP España supports market regulation they argue that a common regulation for global poker should remain the ultimate goal.

“IFP España is an organisation that is working for the recognition of Poker as a Mind Sport, as it has been accepted in other countries,” said IFP España President Juan Manuel Pastor. “We aim to have the same rights and obligations as any sporting federation, and to defend our members. We will do everything possible – within the limit of our powers, resources and the framework of the law – to support Spanish players and we hope that very soon our sport can be accessible to all the world without restrictions.”