First Online Gambling License Issued in Spain

Just days before Spain's nationwide e-gaming legislation is published in an official gazette, the region of Madrid has awarded the country's first online gaming license.

Land-based casino operator Casino Gran Madrid made history after being the first to win a license, and will not be permitted to provide online poker, blackjack, roulette and slots games on its Playtech-powered website.

Beta testing will begin during the next few weeks and the online casino is expected to be running inside a month. CGM will initially accept players 18 and over from the capital, and will commit itself to responsible gambling - including upholding a list of players banned from the land-based casinos.

Spain's new internet gaming law - which sees it follow other European countries like France and Italy in opening up the gambling industry - was approved in February and is slated to be published into official law later this week.

The law could make waves in Spanish-speaking countries across the Atlantic - many of which also have online gambling restrictions - as it will introduce a whole new market for Spanish speakers. Around half-a-billion people speak Spanish as a first or second language, making it with English the second-most spoken language in the world after Mandarin.

For more on online gambling in Spain, visit Online Casino Reports Spain