The political party Unidas Podemos wants to pass a new Gambling Law to regulate the activity of betting houses. Their main priority is to add restrictions to major sports betting brands to combat addiction and gambling disorder.
The online betting business is a sector that grows constantly year after year. Currently in Spain alone there are 80 licensed operators, many of which are dedicated to betting or casino games. For this reason, numerous entities and associations working on behalf of the most vulnerable groups are fighting to improve current regulations.
For several weeks now, the purple party has been part of the government team and has promised major changes. One of them is a modification in legislation to make financing gambling establishments more difficult. Some of the most notable points of this proposal are the prohibition of setting up near schools, and preventing their opening until 10 PM.
The party defends its intention to eliminate betting as a daily habit, to protect citizens from the risks they entail. The objective is to establish a new social landscape. People who want to gamble will no longer be able to do so during lunch, work breaks, or weekends at the bar. Instead, each time they want to bet they will have to go to betting houses and during hours that protect minors. Rubén Sánchez, spokesperson for Facua, believes that limiting opening hours would cut the profits of betting establishments. As a consequence, people would lose interest in going to these places, leaving only bingo halls and casinos available.
Another important point of the new proposal for the regulation of betting houses is sponsorships. Unidas Podemos wants to establish regulations similar to those for tobacco, limiting their use of advertising. In this way, gambling establishments could not advertise at sporting events or sponsor current sports players.
Although the new regulations for betting houses are still in an initial phase, it is expected that they will eventually be implemented. Party sources maintain that this is a priority matter and that the project presented during the elections is already well advanced.
