The Government of La Rioja has temporarily suspended the granting of licenses for the opening of new gaming halls and betting establishments. A restriction that will remain in force, as announced by the Executive spokesperson, Alfonso Domínguez, until the approval of the new decree that regulates this activity, scheduled for 2024.
This precautionary suspension of gaming room authorizations is carried out to adjust the number of establishments to the new planning decree, provided for in the regional law regulating the sector (3/2022, of March 29) and which a year later is still pending. approval.
"The gaming and betting sector generates employment in the region but requires regulation to prevent possible gambling disorders and addiction among young people and the most vulnerable population groups," he said.
Parliament approved the La Rioja gaming and betting law in 2022 to advance the prevention of this problem and the diseases it causes. A rule that is now reinforced with this temporary measure to prohibit the installation of new establishments of these characteristics in cities and towns in the community.
Control and surveillance The Rioja Association of Rehabilitation Gamblers (ARJA) applauds the measure, as confirmed by its president, Concha Santo Tomás. However, it also demands "greater restrictions" on the current establishments and that betting machines "stop being in bars and cafes to concentrate exclusively in gambling halls."
The moratorium on the granting of new licenses aims to provide an adequate response to the proliferation of gaming halls in La Rioja, which have gone from 14 in 2012 to 38 currently, as well as the greater implementation of betting machines in the hospitality sector. "This is a limitation that was already in force four years ago and that, at that time, was adopted pending the approval of the new regional legal framework," the spokesperson recalled.
