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At the end of 2010, we all surprised to say the least, to hear that an online gambling bill had passed muster in Washington DC. At the time we were concentrating our efforts on news coming out of New Jersey and Nevada; the two US states with the most to gain from legalizing online gambling. Both of these states have chiefly gambling-driven economies - Atlantic City and Las Vegas respectively.

The Washington DC iGaming measure was apparently 'snuck in' on the tail end of a budget bill, and essentially made the Capital City state, the first to legalize online gambling in the US post-UIGEA. As we see time after time in this country, the government barely has consensus on any matter, and in this matter they have the least. Despite the fact that the online gambling industry - if legalized - could offer potential big benefits to their budget deficit, both state and nationwide!

Now two local politicians from Washington DC want the iGaming law repealed and Democrat Michael Brown is the Council Member taking the heat. He was the bill's protagonist, and Democrat Council Members Tommy Wells and Phil Mendelson are arguing the bill was not subject to enough debate before being passed. The same could be said of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, when this was passed in 2006.

Brown maintains it took place in an above-board way, and that his former employers who were online gambling lobbyists, had nothing to do with promulgation of the bill. He also realistically maintains that the Washington DC iGaming initiative offers a "viable revenue enhancing vehicle to secure our social safety net and balance our budget during a time of fiscal crisis". We know that he is correct in this statement.

Tommy Wells and Phil Mendelson however cannot see beyond the wood for the trees, and they maintain that online gambling in the state will 'pose a threat to people at risk'. They go so far as to determine that the people at risk are the 'underprivileged'. Are these underprivileged people not exposed to the lottery already, and would they not be kept underprivileged by having their rights to online gambling denied?

In the meantime Oxford University’s pioneering Internet Institute is celebrating its Tenth birthday, and first Professor of Internet Studies, Bill Dutton, from Southern California says; 73% of the population now has access to the internet - bearing mind this is in the UK. He also says that the internet has had an impact on every aspect of modern life, and has proven to be the mother-load for areas of study. Because of fast changing trends, it has also been found that the risks of dating online - as with online gambling and internet addiction - are massively exaggerated.

Perhaps Democrat Council Members Tommy Wells and Phil Mendelson need to read Prof Dutton's report? The Prof is about to write a book about his findings, and his argument is that 'the internet is the medium to empower individuals', and certainly not 'underprivilege' them.

Just a few years ago, it was predicted that the Spanish online gambling market could grow to a very attractive €4.2 billion by 2010. These were some pretty tempting numbers for online casino, online poker, bingo and sports betting sites - certainly enough to get them interested in this business. New studies released are predicting growth in the near future to €39 billion, and this has the cash-strapped Spanish Government sitting up and taking notice too. It is not news that the high tech industry which supports these activities; is a solid mainstream, and highly paid industry too.

Europe is a massive target market for operators who know there is just no way they will get back into the US online gambling marketplace any time soon. In terms of the "Spanish" market; in its current context, only refers to Spain. But there are numerous countries around the world with Spanish speaking populations, and in fact, many of the sites which used to offer online gambling to US residents, offered these in Spanish too. So, there are a whole host of countries for which Spain could provide a hub for an online gambling licensing jurisdiction. This in itself would impact massively on its economy - the online gambling licensing industry has done the same for Gibraltar, Malta, Cyprus, Alderney, Isle of Man and so on.

Spain is now high on the target list for marketers who are now all but completely excluded from the American market. They are a major region for future growth, and the Government is fully aware of this fact.

Some time ago - major brand William Hill group had already started expanding into Spain. Spanish Football teams are being sponsored by online gambling companies, although with the dip in economy, even famous FC's have been struggling to get sponsors on board. Spain has also not as yet done everything it needs to do in the way of creating a legal jurisdiction. But there are many autonomous regions in Spain; all of whom are apparently working toward liberalisation in this market. It is believed that the sports betting sector as well as other interactive gambling will fare very well, and the Spanish also love their bingo. There are already a number of online bingo sites, dedicated to this market alone, and considerable growth has been seen.

The biggest problems to overcome are conflicts with the traditional gambling sector, and this appears to be one of the major driving forces for the problems in the US. Spain is a far less restrictive country, even less so than France, and France has their two little ducks in a row, so to speak. Spain is an attractive jurisdiction with even more attractive growth potential, and now that the Government has decided take the 'regulation' route, there is big promise in more ways than one. The opportunities for additional revenue is highly attractive, as is the fact that salaries for high tech personnel are excellent - they will also be spending their money in this country in which even the real estate industry has not picked up. The unemployment rate is shocking, and new growth can only be a good thing.