Sports betting shops up 140 percent
Spain’s left-wing Podemos Party supports amended gaming laws in Madrid that would require the regional government to “fight gambling addiction, regulate advertising, and move betting houses away from schools and institutes.”
Deputy Emilio Delgado said that current gaming laws date back to 1995 and that the sector has changed significantly since then, with as many as five establishments crowding a single street or clustering near schools.
“Since 2014 the number of sports betting shops has increased by 140 percent,” he said. “The current law has become obsolete,” he said. According to local news outlet Vozpópuli, the populist party says the massive increase in gaming-related advertising has increased the risks for gambling addiction, and there are insufficient programs in place to help those who struggle.
Podemos wants to see a gaming council formed to help prevent problem gambling; enforce compliance; and banish the advertising of sports betting and other type of gaming during children’s hours. It also wants zoning laws tightened to keep slot halls away from schools, and 1 percent of gaming tax revenue earmarked for gambling addiction programs.
