Spain’s plan to unite all of the autonomous communities’ self-exclusion registers has moved a step further.
Spain’s Self-exclusion Registers Move Forward
The Sectoral Commission of Spain’s Gambling Policy Council has submitted to the country’s Plenary Council an agreement with the conditions for the country’s local gambling self-exclusion registers. It is the next step of Spain’s plan to unite all of the self-exclusion registers, which are currently set separately in each autonomous community.
Last year, 17 autonomous communities agreed to be part of the development of an interconnected self-exclusion registry, allowing it to cover all gambling activities (online and land-based). The decision came after a meeting of Spain’s Gambling Policy Council with Minister of Consumer Affairs Alberto Garzón as chairman. The majority approved the idea, while the Basque Country and Valencian provinces abstained from participation, and Catalonia voted against it.
Ministry for Consumer Affairs’ Key Priority
In January, Spain’s Ministry for Consumer Affairs stated two priorities for the year to improve consumer protection in the gambling industry and listed the self-exclusion registers integration as a priority for this year.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs outlined two more regulatory projects: “the draft royal decree on safer gambling environments, and the regulatory basis for the granting of subsidies to carry out research related to the prevention of problem gambling.”
When the approval for the integration of the scheme database is complete, the local authorities controlling the gambling industry will apply the necessary regulatory changes. The process will include moving player data from local registers to the General Self-Exclusion Register (RGIAJ), administered by the Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ), Spain’s central gambling regulator.
Gambling Self-Exclusions in Spain Continue to Grow
In January, Spain’s national register reported growth in voluntary registries of people, excluding themselves from online gambling than in 2019.
The country’s regulator reported 56,329 people registered in the self-exclusion scheme for 2020, with 6,042 (12%) more registries than in 2019, proving that gambling self-exclusion continues to grow.
Andalusia, the most populous region, registered 24.5% of the total exclusion registries, reporting a 7.1 % increase compared to 2019. Madrid recorded 17% of the exclusion with a growth of 13.1% compared to the previous year.
The Balearic Islands, an autonomous community, recorded the most growth in percentage compared to 2019, with a 56% increase in self-exclusion registries.