Juegos Miami speaker, Santiago Asensi, managing partner of highly respected law firm Asensi Abogados, has warned that online gaming legislation will only work if the correct decisions are taken by governments in the three key areas of tax, permitted games and the location of servers.

Santiago Asensi, Managing partner of highly respected law firm Asensi Abogados

Speaking ahead of his appearance at Juegos Miami (31 May – 3 June, The Biltmore, Coral Gables, Miami) Asensi said: “Ignoring one of these three basic pillars will directly drive the regulator to a big failure. Obviously, there is not a standard regulation that is valid for every single jurisdiction, but being in the 21st century, the industry knows what works and what does not.

“I believe in a liberalised framework that gathers the interests of both international and domestic operators in the same jurisdiction. Experience shows that bans on gambling or strong restrictions only help the growth of the illegal market. Therefore, I am a strong supporter of markets where gambling is understood as part of the entertainment industry.”