Spanish public organization calls for ban on gambling advertising

The Spanish Association for the Treatment of Addictions (UNAD) has called on the authorities to completely ban gambling and betting advertising, stating that such advertisements are incompatible with public health prevention and protection policies.

According to the organization, the advertising of gambling contributes to the development of addictive behavior, which leads to serious social, psychological, and economic consequences, especially for young people.

As part of World Gambling-Free Day, UNAD noted that behavioral addictions such as gambling, betting, and video games leave no visible physical traces, making early detection difficult.

“Being so socially normalized, these addictions are detected when they are already more chronic and the psychological, social, and economic damage is much greater,” UNAD said.

UNAD also acknowledged that there have already been positive developments in the regulation of gambling, in particular the draft resolution of the General Directorate for the Regulation of Gambling, which establishes technical requirements for warning messages about the harm of gambling addiction in accordance with Royal Decree 958/2020. This document is currently under public consultation.

However, the organization insists that only a complete ban on the advertising and promotion of gambling, both offline and online, can effectively prevent the development of addictive behavior, which is exacerbated by commercial messages.

“The promotion of gambling is incompatible with prevention. Anyone can be prone to addictive behavior, especially if it develops at a young age,” emphasized the UNAD President, Luciano Poyato.

The organization also called on the authorities to speed up the adoption of new rules limiting the size of deposits on gambling platforms to protect vulnerable groups and reduce the risks associated with gambling.

Also, as part of these reforms, the Customer Service Law (Ley SAC) is being discussed, which provides for additional restrictions: a ban on the use of celebrities and influencers in gambling advertising, as well as restrictions on bonuses given to players.