Spain Approves Online Gambling Regulations

It’s really frustrating to deal with technology in the United States. While other countries around us embrace it and utilize it properly, we’re constantly stuck twenty years in the past and price gouging for it. Just take a look at our broadband speeds – we’re one of the slowest countries in the world, yet we charge so much for it.

Online gambling is no different. Only three states have legalized it, and the rest of the states are so caught up in bickering about it that they’ve pretty much caused discussions to halt. That’s not the case with Spain.

Earlier this week, Spain approved online gambling regulations. These regulations govern online slots and exchange betting. They believe by embracing and regulating online gambling, their online gaming market will be strengthened.

They also thing that it’ll make a positive impact, which is something that a lot of people in the United States don’t seem to realize. They state that it’ll be particularly helpful to generate extra tax income, and do so in a way that is safe and responsible.

The current timeframe for everything to get set up and begin in Spain is around six months, so once the new year rolls around, Spain will officially embrace online gambling.

There’s a lot to learn from countries like Spain. They’re not caught up in a ton of legislation regarding online gambling. They don’t have people like Sheldon Adelson fighting against them. They realize online gambling for what it is: a safe, fun, and entertaining way for adults to relax in their downtime. It’s a potentially win-win scenario for both parties.

So where does the United States go from here?

Well, for starters, you can bet that Spain’s online gambling platform will be closely watched by not only the United States, but other countries as well. Though other countries have already legalized it, Spain’s numbers could potentially be the tipping point that causes other countries to propose bills to legalize it.

Numbers don’t lie, and the facts remain. Online gambling brings in revenue that would’ve otherwise been lost. It doesn’t hurt land-based casinos, it actually supplements them and makes up for the money that they lose. The sooner that politicians here realize that, the sooner you’ll be able to gamble online anywhere in the country.

As it currently stands, Pennsylvania is nearing legalization of online gambling, with California not too far behind. They’re both expected to post huge numbers. For California, the money is much needed. It remains to be seen exactly how much revenue it’ll generate, but given that California has a population of around 38 million, it should be quite a large amount.

As is the case with a lot of things, the United States is taking a wait-and-see approach to online gambling. We’ll know how well online gaming works for Spain in 2015.