Spain, which is already one of the strictest gambling markets in Europe, plans to place the industry under further scrutiny as it seeks to curb problem gambling. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs said that it would allocate a huge part of its budget to gambling harm prevention.
Spain to Fund the Treatment of Gambling Harm
The overall budget for treating gambling harm is expected to increase in 2023. Alberto Garzón, the current minister of consumer affairs, targets a budget of almost $72 million in order to tackle problem gambling in the country. Around $2.1 million will be dedicated to the research of gambling disorders and the search for treatment, which is almost double what the ministry spent in 2021.
One of the ministry’s key priorities to is seeking a compromise between Spain’s autonomous communities. The ministry believes that a more focused approach is needed to make a change.
This news comes amid fairly low gambling harm rates in Spain. Experts put the percentage of problem gamblers in the country at some measly 0.25%. Still, the ministry seems wary of the prospects of rising rates and gambling-related crime. Some regulated jurisdictions, for example, often have to deal with gambling-related theft as many problem gamblers tend to steal money to fuel their addictions.
Garzón Believes People Must Become Informed Consumers
While Garzón plans to spend a lot on gambling harm prevention, it isn’t his only priority. Recently, the minister said that he plans to use a part of the ministry’s funds to pay the expenses related to the next presidency of the Council of the European Union. In addition, the minister plans to fund laboratories that check the quality of foods in the country.
Garzón recently spoke about the importance of education in Spain. He shared that he believes people need to be more capable of making informed decisions. According to him, education is needed to train a generation of aware customers who are not easily swayed by a market that tends to be patriarchic and full of inequalities. Garzón called education a tool of happiness, peace and freedom.
In other news, Spain’s Ministry of Finance recently proposed new change affecting the declaration of gambling winnings under $290. The ministry demanded a mandatory declaration of such winnings, which, it claims, would help it fix a deficiency in income declarations.
In July, Spanish authorities said they would look deeper into the matter of loot boxes and decide whether they should be regulated.