London Media & Entertainment Consulting Network (MECN) did a survey recently about operators of online poker and gambling sites and found many of them said Spain is a good country to expand to.

MECN’s report, “The Spanish Gambling Market - Key region for future growth” illustrates many reasons why Spain is set for imminent growth.

Gambling operators are eagerly searching for new markets following the collapse of online enterprises resulting from the signing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA), which was signed into law on October 13, 2006 in the USA.

Because the UIGEA makes it illegal for banks to handle betting transactions to online gambling sites from US residents, gambling operators are seeking to expand into less restrictive jurisdictions or into regions where an increased liberalization might be possible in the short term, to make up for the loss of the USA market.

Many autonomous regions in Spain are working toward liberalization of the market. The physical betting sector as well as interactive gambling could benefit from that.