by Mario Alfonsi | Published on Mar 23, 2012 | Updated on Mar 23, 2012Most people do not realize it but by the time June comes the only online poker being played in Spain will be regulated by the government. This is not necessarily a bad thing because many of the online poker operators that serve Spanish citizens now have already been approved for a license to continue serving them once the regulation kicks in. 888 and Bet365 are just two of the names who have received licenses from the Spanish Government and will kick off regulated poker this summer.While regulation may prove inconvenient for poker providers, it will likely have little effect on the players, unless Bodog is your go-to site. This is because Bodog recently announced that they will leave the Spanish market ahead of the forthcoming regulations.In an email to their players, Bodog said, “We would like to inform you that due to recent regulatory changes, we are no longer able to offer our betting or wagering services to residents of Spain or Spanish territories. Your account will be disabled on the 31st of March 2012 and as of today; you are no longer able to make any further deposits to your account.”Many fans of the site are saying that Bodog Poker should apply for a license to preserve their Spanish following, but word on the street is that licenses in Spain can take up to 6 months to be given to a poker operator. This waiting period, or rumor of it, is enough to keep many sites, especially smaller ones, away from applying for a license in Spain. Bodog is not the first site to leave Spain and will probably not be the last. Let’s just hope that poker regulation in Spain does not turn into a monster that is not worth dealing with. We will keep you informed on all the latest developments in Spain and elsewhere around the world.
