Francisco Fernández Marugán, acting Ombudsman of Spain, has alerted of the danger that might entail the proliferation and the intense advertising of betting houses for the population, especially for young people.
According to him, the uncontrolled advertising of gambling has very similar characteristics to the consume of tobacco and drugs, especially if the gamblers are under age.
Consequently, the Institution has opened an intervention to the ministries of Health, Treasury, Consumption and Social Wellbeing, and it is expected to expand it to the National Commission on Markets and Competition (Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia), and to the regional and local authorities.
Specifically, the Institution seeks further data regarding this phenomenon and the possibilities of a more determined intervention of public authorities regarding the rights of the minor and limitations in advertising –already present in audiovisual communication legislation. As well, the Institution considers necessary that public authorities study in depth the effects of the proliferation of establishments with access to the public.
The Ombudsman has received complaints for the constant advertising in television and online media of betting houses. Most of the citizens who have addressed the Institution argue that, as well as with tobacco, there is a serious problem with compulsive gambling in Spain, which has relation with this type of advertising that not only damages the health of the person that gambles but also their families and environment.
The Ombudsman reminds that public authorities are compelled by the Constitution to provide that leisure is used in an adequate way (article 43).
Additionally, the National Strategy on Addictions (Estrategia Nacional de Adicciones) includes actions against the addiction to new technologies and gambling. In this regard, the General Law of Audiovisual Communication (Ley General de la Comunicación Audiovisual) specially protects the rights of the minor, while the Law on Gambling Regulation (Ley de regulación del juego) has, among other objectives, to prevent addictive conducts, to protect the rights of the minor and to safeguard the rights of the participants in gambling.
