Gibraltar-based 888 Holdings has become the second poker site to enter Portugal as of Monday, 29th January. The company’s gaming licence also permits it to offer online casino gaming. On the Spanish side of the peninsula, Malaysian giant Genting look like they have their sights set on licenses, as well, having applied for online casino and sports betting licenses there.
888’s license in Portugal is already good to go, with the paperwork quietly handed over on 14th January, two weeks prior to the announcement. The agreement stipulates that 888 can legally provide gaming such as roulette and slots alongside poker in Portugal. The Stars Group have running things solo there for almost three years.
888 have also already expressed an interest in joining the shared liquidity venture with Pokerstars, in which poker players across Spain, France and Portugal are able to play each other within the Pokerstars client. 888 would offer a similar service, albeit shared only with Spain; the company is not yet established to offer poker services in France.
Genting has said that they view Spain as a springboard to kickstart their presence in Europe. They could not have chosen a much better starting point. With taxes on gambling firms recently lowered, and a still booming market, Spain is a pretty sweet entry spot for a firm looking to get to grips with Europe. Genting also recently opened their new interactive headquarters in Malta.
