The regulation of betting shops and gambling halls is once again before Parliament. In 2021, in the midst of a debate on the need to establish limitations on the development of this activity in cities, the Junta de Andalucía approved a decree in which it established a minimum distance of 150 metres between this type of business and educational centres.
The distance was considered insufficient by many town councils, which went so far as to set their own regulations, raising it to 500 metres. This was the case, for example, of Alcalá de Guadaíra in the province of Seville or of the Cádiz Town Council, which led to a conflict of powers that was resolved by the courts in favour of the regional administration.
Now, the Adelante Andalucía Mixed Group returns the debate to the House with a non-law proposal in which it is requested that the required distance between betting and gambling houses and schools that teach courses such as Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO), Baccalaureate, Basic Vocational Training and professional artistic education be extended to 500 meters.
Likewise, the initiative, reported by Europa Press, advocates limiting the opening hours of these gambling establishments so that they only open "between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.", understanding that it would be a "deterrent measure that would help groups such as adolescents, young people and people with gambling-related illnesses, such as gambling addiction or pathological gambling."
In addition to these two requests, Adelante Andalucía demands that the Junta de Andalucía "regulate the advertising of betting companies and businesses in the same way as it does with other practices and products harmful to health, such as tobacco and alcohol." The latest demand of the PNL of this group to the regional Administration is that it promotes "the creation of informative and educational content and communication actions", aimed at the young audience through regional radio and television, with the aim of helping "the prevention of gambling activities and the diseases derived from their practice."
