Portuguese professionals welcome the legalisation but criticise the law

The Portuguese Association of Casinos (APC) is a professional organisation representing the interests of operators of land based gaming establishments on the Portuguese market.
Through the voice of their chairman, Jorge Armindo, they wished to acknowledge the progress the government has made with the laws on the legalisation of online gambling.
However, they also say that the draft should limit obtaining a license to casino operators who are already authorised in the country.
With this, they condemn the current position that was taken by the authorities.

The Presidents statement

Jorge Armindo, chairman of the APC said that the regulations were good with regards to establishing a legal form of gambling on the Internet.
Nevertheless, he believes that the choices made by the government are not necessarily the most appropriate.
Jorge Armindo stressed the need for an exclusive licence and reminds that the casino owners have already paid several million for permissions to offer gambling in the country.
He believes that the future law should be in line with the law of 2001 which was focused on land based establishments, leaving the right to obtain a license exclusively to them. This is also the case in Belgium.

The government’s position

Encouraged by the European commission, the government argues that they had the same opinion with the APC so far, but that they have now a different opinion.
At a recent press conference the note with the name New law on legalisation of online gambling in Portugal soon before Parliament, was read by the Secretary of State for Tourism, Adolfo Mesquita Nunes, who described the draft law on online gambling.
The law is still subject to parliamentary approval, and proposes that licences can also be obtained by foreign operators.
Nunes also announced that he wanted the legislation to be adopted before the end of this year, and he said he was inspired by other European legislations, the recommendations of Brussels, and a study on comparative law.
At the same press conference the charity organisation Santa Casa da Misericordia that currently holds the state or monopoly with the national lottery, was asked by reporters about their future. Nunes said that the body will also be responsible for sports betting in land-based casinos, using the experience they already gained.