The government’s decision to legalise online gambling came in for praise with Jorge Armindo, President of the Portuguese Casino Association, backing the move even while adding his members were still considering their reaction in comments to Lusa News Agency.
“It is good that online gambling is getting regulated and becomes a legal form of gambling,” Armindo said before adding that “the means chosen may not have been the most appropriate.”
The Casino Association president said the legislation in question was still under analysis but that the association had long since backed exclusivity in the gambling concessions.
“Our position has always rested on the right of concession holders to exclusivity in online gaming, indeed, in alignment with the concession that was attributed to us in 2001 and for which we paid many millions of euros at the time”, said Armindo before accepting that the situation was now different and thus “requiring a lot of attention to that presented on Thursday and which we still remain unaware of.”
The government described its own legislative proposal for Internet based gambling, and still subject to parliamentary approval as “an open regime, by licensing, without any concession of exclusivity.”
At Thursday’s press conference announcing the measure, State Secretary for Tourism, Adolfo Mesquita Nunes promised the legislation would be enacted by year end and was based on best European practices, European Commission recommendations and a study of comparative legislation.
Operators would be “granted a licence on meeting certain technical, financial and reputational requirements that shall be subject to pre-definition,” said the state secretary.
Questioned about the future of Santa Casa da Misericórdia, the charitable institution that runs the state lottery, Nunes said “sporting bets within the territorial framework would be granted to Santa Casa thus leveraging its already acquired experience.”
