SPAIN
CIO: Was there ever any doubt that you would seek and receive a Spanish licence?
ER: We seek licenses wherever they are made available, so naturally we’ve been interested in Spain from the beginning. An operator can never be certain of regulatory approval and we would never assume that; what we can say is that as the leader in online poker and the most licensed e-gaming operator in the world, we bring tremendous value, experience and best practices to regulated markets, along with our track record in delivering a very safe, secure and exciting platform for poker competition.
PokerStars Eric Hollreiser, Head of Corporate Communications
CIO: How important was gaining the Spanish licence to PokerStars?
Eric Hollreiser (ER): Obtaining a license to operate in Spain underlines PokerStars’ commitment to be among the first companies to enter regulated markets when licenses become available.
CIO: How big a part of your business has the Spanish market been in recent times?
ER: For competitive reasons I cannot provide any specific data on this, but Spain is one of the most important markets for us worldwide. Spain is home to some of the best poker players in the world.
CIO: How large an issue was the back taxation?
ER: We cannot get into the specifics of our discussions with the Spanish regulators, except to say that we have fulfilled all the requirements for obtaining our license.
CIO: What are your current activities and future plans in this market place?
ER: We will continue to act as a responsible online poker provider in Spain, as we’ve been doing for the past few years. We will promote the safe and responsible use of our product and expect there to be a very healthy competitive market place, just as we have seen in the regulated online poker markets in France and Italy.
CIO: What do you think the future is for the Spanish market?
ER: We are only at the beginning of the journey, but all indications are that Spain will be a vibrant online poker market.
Prima Networks Spain Loraine Schoevers, Director
CIO: How important was gaining the Spanish licence to Prima?
Loraine Schoevers (LS): In a market the size of Spain, it was always going to be important for Prima Networks Spain to get a license. We are pleased to have added a number of new and existing land-based Spanish operators to our portfolio.
CIO: What specific products does this licence permit you to offer in Spain?
LS: We are licensed to offer games platforms to third parties for Casino, Bingo, and Poker.
CIO: Was there ever any doubt that you would seek and receive a Spanish licence?
LS: No, it was a natural decision to enter the market given the business opportunities in Spain. With our pedigree and success in other regulated markets, we were optimistic about receiving a license to operate in Spain.
CIO: What are your current activities and future plans in this market place?
LS: We were there at the opening of the market and are offering market-leading products including blackjack, roulette, baccarat, poker and bingo through top operators including CIRSA Gaming Corporation, Ladbrokes, Interwetten, Stan James and Betway. Further operators will be launching with PNS in Spain shortly.
CIO: What do you think the future is for the Spanish market?
GH: We are committed to the Spanish market, and despite the macro economic situation we believe it is an exciting territory where our customers love sport and love backing their favourite teams.
CIO: What do you think Sportingbet in particular has to offer this region?
GH: Best-in-class match access, competitive odds, multiple betting options, first-rate customer service and a really user-friendly interface.
JULY/AUGUST 2012 55
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