Yet Another Country Says Yes To Online Gambling
Added: May 18, 2015
Are you starting to notice a trend that is showing up in various places around the globe? A trend of more and more countries finally waking up to the very real benefits of legalized online gambling for their residents? Sure, there are still the holdouts that refuse to even consider the idea of legalized online gambling. Still, the point should not be missed here; it seems that every week nowadays there is news of another country that listened to what their residents really wanted and are taking steps to set up at least some form of online gambling.
The latest country to throw their proverbial hat in the online gambling ring so to speak is Portugal. Yes, it is true. The country of Portugal has not been so much in the news with respect to online gambling or online casino action over the last few years.
Nevertheless, the Council of Ministers just recently approved a new Remote Gaming Bill. Note that this new bill was officially approved by President Anibal Antoni Cavaco Silva. Although at this point in time the fine print, the details as it were, are a bit sparse, it is clear that this new Remote Gaming Bill will essentially open up the online borders to online casino operators from around the world.
The way that it will work is that the International Online Gambling operators who want to offer their services to the residents of Portugal will need to apply for an online gaming license. This license has a three year term. Interestingly, the Remote Gaming Bill spells out in no uncertain terms that once an online gambling operator is approved, they can then promote their online casinos over approved media channels.
As far as the price to get in for the Online Gambling operators goes, there are two fee structures set up. For online sports betting action, there will be a tax assessed for online sports betting action. This online sports betting tax will range from 8% to 16%. On the other hand, for traditional online casino action, the tax rate is bumped up to a range of 15% to 30% for online casino games.
Bottom line is this. Portugal is but another example of a government that has awakened to the opportunity to bring in additional revenues to the state coffers while offering services that the residents really want. In other words, it is a win-win situation all the way around.