Sportingbet, 888 and Jaxx subsidiary DIGIDIS have been awarded Spanish online gaming licences by the General Directorate for the Regulation of Gambling.

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For Sportingbet, the grant of the licence negates part of the injunction, which was imposed on the group’s Spanish business on March 27 and thus allows it to commence trading when this regulated market opens.

Obtaining the Spanish online gaming licence marks the latest step in Sportingbet’s stated strategy of increasing the proportion of its gaming revenue from regulated markets.

Having been awarded one of the first online gaming licences in Spain, DIGIDIS is expected to launch its gaming range - including poker, roulette, blackjack, bingo and other casino games - online in the course of June.

Commenting on the announcement of the licence awarded, which is for the provision of casino, poker, bingo and sport, 888 CEO Brian Mattingley said: “Spain is an important market for 888, accounting for five per cent of our revenue in 2011. We believe that the future of the online gaming industry is in regulated, legitimate and safe online gaming environments and we believe we have the right offering to gain significant market share.”