A Barcelona court has reaffirmed that PokerStars has been operating legally in Spain since it first launched online poker services there in 2001.
PokerStars currently operates under a licence issued by the Spanish Gambling Commission in June 2012, when such permits were first approved by the Spanish government.
The court ruling confirms PokerStars’ position that it had not been acting unlawfully when there was no regulation of online gaming in the country, between 2001 and June 2012 when the current system was introduced. This rejects claims brought by Codere, the Spanish multinational gaming company.
Antonio Vázquez-Guillén, partner at Allen & Overy, PokerStars' counsel for the case, said his client was very happy with the outcome: "The Barcelona court judgement is absolutely clear in its conclusion that PokerStars has always operated in Spain according to the law.
“It clarifies a question that, in our view, should never have been brought to a court of justice," he added.
