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If you’ve ever been to Spain you know that the country is not the most punctual place in Europe –unlike Germany’s mass transit system which runs within 5 minutes, visitors in Spain will be fortunate to see Spain’s buses and trains arrive within an hour of their scheduled in some instances—so it’s not all that surprising that Spain’s new online poker regulations slated to be rolled-out on January 1^st, 2012 have been delayed by up to six months according to PokerFuse.com.

According to the Official State Gazette (BOE) the delay will keep the current status quo in place until the first online poker licenses are issued in Spain (supposedly sometime in June 2012). This means that current operators will still have access to the Spanish market without the need for a Spanish license at this time.

According to reports the licensing process has met with a number of delays and revisions, and with roughly 50 applicants applying for the Spanish licenses, including Groupe Bernard Tapie which is rumored to be taking over the reins at the floundering Full Tilt poker site, the country was overwhelmed and has decided to delay the granting of licenses.

The laws that will soon be in place will be some of the most restrictive in the world in terms of player controls, including strict deposit and withdrawal limits as well as safety measures to identify habitual players. But as of now it is business as usual on the Iberian Peninsula.