Madrid to have the gaming law amendment in April

In an appearance at the plenary session of the Madrid Assembly, at the request of Unidos Podemos, the Minister for the Presidency, Justice and the Interior, Enrique López, stressed that the new regulation seeks to develop "a framework that guarantees the general interest and especially for the protection of the vulnerable."

The Regional Government is finalizing the gaming planning decree, which seeks to protect "the most fragile", establish "an orderly planning" of gaming halls and betting shops to correct "the dysfunctions of excessive growth" and "prevent the high concentration" of these establishments in certain areas, Lopez said.

At the moment, the decree is in the issuance phase of the report of the General Advocacy of the Community of the Community of Madrid and, according to López, its approval is scheduled for April.

The counselor explained that the regional government approved a moratorium to suspend the granting of new licenses to open betting houses, which was extended until May 2022 until the approval of the regulation decree, which has reduced "significantly" the opening of new establishments, but has specified that those that were in process "have been granted".

With the new regulations, the regional government will veto the opening of new establishments in "high concentration areas" and will also facilitate the transfer of existing premises to reduce saturation in said areas.
Protecting "the most fragile" is the main objective of the modification of the Gaming Law, López explained, which will increase the control measures to prevent access by minors and those with premises less than 100 meters from an educational center.

To "alleviate" the "risk" in the premises that are already located in these areas, admission controls are reinforced in which there must be "a permanent natural person" for control and admission tasks.

The legislative amendment entails a change in the sanctioning regime and access to betting houses and gambling halls for minors and vulnerable groups, and will go from being a serious to a very serious infraction.

On the other hand, in order to reduce the betting shops located in the vicinity of educational centers and favor "deconcentration in saturated areas", transfers to others that are less so are contemplated, and a minimum distance of 300 meters is established between these establishments for new authorizations.

In addition, it will contemplate the prohibition of actions to attract customers in the premises, advertising campaigns starring celebrities and the sponsorship of sporting events, and includes regulation of responsible gambling, which will force companies in the sector to pay "due attention " to the groups of people vulnerable to the practice of the game; to promote moderate, non-compulsive and responsible gambling attitudes; and to inform minors or persons included in the Game Access Ban Registry of the prohibition to participate.

These changes to the regulations are included in the so-called Omnibus Law, which will be approved shortly by the Governing Council to begin its parliamentary process in the Madrid Assembly.

In the preliminary draft of the Omnibus Law, by which 33 laws were modified, as well as five decrees in force in the Community of Madrid, in the face of betting houses, it also proposes the extension of the administrative response processes that go from two to three months for requests to install machines in bars and cafeterias, as well as the regime of silence in the authorization procedures for specific betting premises and betting areas.

THE LEFT CALLS THE AMENDMENT OF THE REGULATION AS "RIDICULOUS"

"This is a joke in bad taste", said the deputy of More Madrid Raquel Huertas for whom these modifications are "ridiculous" and doubts whether the regional Executive "is aware or does not care about what is happening with Madrid's youth ".

In addition, he believes "useless" that the distance is applied "only to 1%" of the bookmakers, which is "a joke" for the residents of the areas saturated by these centers.

From the socialist caucus, deputy Fernando Fernández Lara has pointed out that "it is not good news" the proximity to educational centers and the proliferation of premises in many neighborhoods, "normally more humble" and has also lamented that the extent to which they are a distance of 500 meters from each other "it seems that they are going to be forgotten".

He has asked the counselor not to make political use of this activity since it is "a serious problem", that both responsible gambling and Employment be preserved and measures be agreed with the social agents in order to avoid "gambling problematic", preventing "the slightest risk of pathological gambling" especially in the youngest and people with fewer resources.

The deputy of Unidos Podemos Tito Morano has snapped at the regional Executive that its regulation serves "only so that they remain exactly the same" and they should take measures in the face of a problem "that is not a corridor politicking but a public issue."

For him, establishing a distance from education centers is "ridiculous" and will not prevent addiction among minors: "This is a shame. You are playing with the health of minors and vulnerable people," he said.