Gambling operator Betclic Everest Group announced today that it has become the first company to receive a license for the provision of online sports betting options in Portugal, thus expanding its presence in regulated markets across Europe.
After being granted the license in question by the Portuguese gambling operator, Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos do Turismo de Portugal, the Betclic Portugal online sportsbook officially went live on Wednesday, May 25.
The Portuguese market has been regulated relatively recently. Regulators have not announced how many international gambling operators have expressed interest in operating within the country’s borders. However, local media reported that the regulatory body is currently reviewing as many as eleven applications from Europe-facing gaming and sports betting companies.
The country’s gambling regulations have been seriously criticized, with opponents claiming that they were not fair enough and that the implemented tax rate was not a competitive one and would only result in a restricted market growth.
Earlier this month, Betclic Everest announced that it has received a gaming license for the provision of its services in Belgium. To be more precise, the gambling operator was granted a B+ license and was thus allowed to go live with a Belgian website. The operator would offer both online casino games and sports betting products to gambling customers from the country.
Betclic Everest had previously operated in Belgium but was forced to leave the local market in 2012 after a number of complaints against its brands were submitted to the local gambling regulator. Now, the operator would provide its online gaming and sports betting services through its partnership with Pres Carats Sports SA, known to be a land-based arcade company. Under the current Belgian gambling regulations, online operators should have e physical presence, which can be obtained through a joint work with local land-based providers.
Earlier this year, Betclic Everest has decided to shut down its EverestPoker website in France as the current situation in the country makes it difficult for the company to support two poker websites. The EverestPoker is to close down on May 31.
