MARBELLA CLUB

Queen Sofia had earlier accepted the invite to Friday's celebration at Windsor Castle, but in a last minute snub by Spain's government she has been told not to attend because it would be "inappropriate in the current circumstances". Last week Spain's foreign ministry issued a formal complaint to Britain's Ambassador in Madrid over the planned visit in June of The Earl and Countess of Wessex to the disputed territory of Gibraltar to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee year. The Spanish government expressed its "upset and concern" over the visit by the Queen's youngest son and his wife to the territory, a tiny peninsula sitting at Spain's southwestern corner over which it still claims sovereignty. At the time however, it seemed unlikely to take the matter further. In fact, when asked if Queen Sofia would still be attending the Windsor Castle event, Jose Garcia-Margallo, Spain's foreign minister confirmed she would be free to do so in a "private capacity". However, in a sudden U-turn and with less than 48 hours until the lunch, Spain's royal household disclosed that the government had ordered Queen Sofia to reject the invitation to Windsor Castle, where kings and queens from around the world will convene to celebrate the Queen's 60 years on the throne.

Expats will be barred from playing poker with fellow English-speakers internationally, while those who enjoy virtual bingo are likely to be frustrated in Spain. From June 1, only companies with a Spanish government-issued licence and an .es domain will be allowed to run online gambling sites in the country. The previous Socialist Party government passed a new gambling law last year that introduced the new rules, but the implementation of this was delayed when they lost power to the Popular Party in November. The new law doesn’t, however, cover bingo, meaning those who’ve taken to substituting the UK’s bingo halls for a bit of a flutter online will be out of luck. It has not been banned but the legal assumption is that if it isn't on the list of regulated products, it isn't legal. While sports betting is permitted under the new law, live in-play betting has been excluded and there has been speculation that the regulation of betting exchanges — such as that run by Betfair — will be delayed.