Operator News
Spain – Claims of underage gambling exaggerated says Spain’s Business Council of Gaming.
By Phil - 10 October 2019
The Business Council of Gaming (Cejuego) has argued in a statement that gambling is a “legal, regulated and standardised” activity in Spanish society, and denied that there is a problem when it comes to underage players being granted access to slot parlours.
In a statement the Head of Cejuego, Alejando Landaluce argued that unnecessary alarm was being caused by the false notion of widespread underage gambling.
Cejuego issued the statement before a march was held on Sunday in Madrid against a proliferation of gambling. To ensure that the market in Spain “scrupulously complies” with regulations and that it does not pursue “unfair enrichment” in order to benefit from the most disadvantaged classes amongst the young , Cejuego has a “firm commitment to a zero tolerance ” policy when it comes to underage gambling according to the statement.
In addition the body referred to the recent police operation carried out to detect the presence of minors in gambling halls. Operation “Arcade” was carried out by The Spanish National Police force last month in order to detect the presence of minors in betting houses, casinos and gambling venues throughout the country. The operation is part of a government drive to stop underage gambling amongst fears that gambling addiction is becoming increasingly prevalent amongst young people.
Out of 3,000 visits carried out by authorities – incidences have been reported as “practically nil” according to Cejuego. When it came to the Community of Madrid, in particular, Cejuego stated that out of 22,810 inspections in 2017 the presence of only 22 minors was recorded.
“This data shows that an unrealistic and unnecessary social alarm is being created on this subject,” said Cejuego.
Much of the perceived proliferation of gambling was due to the fact that there are no limits when it comes to distances between gaming establishments meaning that they are concentrated in three main commercial areas.
Cejuego said that it has been calling for “planning measures” to regulate distances “in an orderly and coherent manner,” and that it was “the best guarantee of a controlled and sustainable development.”
