According to the latest news, the Assembly of Madrid has accepted the new gaming law which was proposed by the Podemos Party (We Can Party).
This law urges the regional government to fight gambling addiction, regulate advertising and move betting houses away from places close to schools.
In addition to that, the updated law proposes the creation of a Gaming Council in the Community of Madrid, and its first task would be to create a comprehensive evaluation report on gambling activity for the entire autonomous community.
Raising Public Awareness
Podemos Party deputy, Emilio Delgado, pointed out that he was not against gaming and did not want to ban the gambling activity altogether. He emphasized the main goal of the initiative was to harmonize the interests of all sectors concerned.
On the other hand, member of the Ciudadanos Party (Citizens Party), Victoria Alonso, who gave her support for the proposal, said it was necessary to raise public awareness when it came to the potentially addictive nature of gaming.
The updated gaming law was designed to combat pathological gambling, and gain more legal control over the advertising.
This especially refers to the advertising of sports betting, which will be forbidden during children's hours and during sports events that happen at that time on Radio Televisión Madrid S.A.
One Party Was Against
The proposal got the necessary support from the Ciudadanos Party and from the El Partido Socialista Obrero Español (Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party), but the Partido Popular (The People’s Party) did not share their opinion.
The Partido Popular expressed their dissatisfaction and added that some measures were already covered by the current law while others had exceeded the powers of the Community.
The Podemos Party has also argued that unlike other autonomous communities in Spain, Madrid did not have the necessary planning regulations regarding the gambling halls. The new law will regulate this matter as well.
The current zoning laws will become much more strict, in order to prevent slot hall from being located in “special risk places”, such as schools and therapy centers for problem gamblers. In addition to that, 1% of gaming tax revenue will be allocated for helping those suffering from gambling addiction.
