The Basque Government toughens the measures on the betting houses and gambling halls

The Basque Government will restrict minimum physical distances between gambling establishments, will not grant new licenses to install gaming machines, will toughen the conditions of access and will limit advertising of gaming companies. These are some of the measures included in the new regulations about the betting houses and gambling halls.

The regulations will also regulate the number of gaming venues Therefore, in the Basque Country there can only be three casinos, one per Historical Territory, a racetrack, 14 bingo halls, 60 betting shops and 170 gambling halls (there are currently 209).

Three years have passed since the Basque Country created the Basque Gaming Observatory. In the absence of two days to the International Day Without Gambling, the Security Advisor, Josu Erkoreka, and the UPV / EHU researcher, Jonatan Grace, They have taken stock of these three years in addition to analyzing the current situation.

According to Gracia, there is a clear presence of gambling in Basque society. “70.5% of the population has gambled or gambled at least once in the last year.” In addition, almost 70% of the people who have been surveyed have affirmed that during their childhood and / or youth, they have seen a relative play and 24.7% have acknowledged having started in the game before the age of 18.

The report on the Prevalence, habits and profiles of gamblers in the Basque Country, published by the Basque Gaming Observatory, points out that the percentage of youth with gambling problems increases mainly due to online modalities betting.

For its part, the Basque Government has reaffirmed its commitment in the fight against gambling problematic and pathological in Euskadi and has announced the approval, in the next quarter, of the modification of the General Gaming Regulations of 2016.

With the purpose of adjust the gambling offer in the Basque Country to socially tolerable margins, ensure health protection and the prevention of the game and protect minors and vulnerable groups, the legal reform will entail a hardening of the distances of the premises of game with respect to educational centers, number and minimum meters between establishments, access control and advertising in accordance with the real social and economic situation in the Basque Country as of today.

In this way, there can be no gambling or betting venues less than 150 radial meters from educational centers regulated and there must be a minimum distance of 500 between establishments.

In addition, the Basque Government restricts advertising for gaming companies. Advertising about the game in the media between 06:00 and 24:00 hours or advertisements with people who have public notoriety or who are minors will be prohibited. Outdoor advertising or delivery of brochures within 150 meters of sports centers is also excluded, among other measures.

The new regulation will establish the mandatory access control for all premises of this type, including its hospitality areas. Thus, the premises must control access to all minors, those registered as denied because they have limited powers, those who decide to deny access, etc.

For the next three years, will not be awarded new licenses to install gaming machines in catering establishments and gaming halls; and all cancellations of those permits that occur at this time will be final.

It is a regulatory change that the Basque Government will repeat, from now on, every three years.

The Basque Government has recalled that gambling is a leisure activity allowed and standardized in our society and that generates a Gross Added Value that exceeds 155 million euros in the Basque Country. In addition, it employs about 2,500 people in the Basque Country.

However, you have indicated that it is your responsibility give it a proper and tight dimension “that allows us to reconcile this activity with the necessary protection of public health and avoid the harmful effects of gambling.”