The Madrid’s community has launched a new Inspections plan for betting establishments to verify that establishments comply with the normative which was approved last May in order to increase the protection of minors y vulnerable groups.
This was explained by the Minister of Justice, Interior and Victims, Enrique Lopez, who wanted to supervise one of the new approved access control systems installed in a betting shop located at number 115 Cartagena street. The Madrid counselor has specified that tomorrow ends the period for adaptation to the may decree and, therefore, all betting venues in the region must have approved access controls.
Specifically, the region has 685 locales, of which 160 are betting houses, 488 gaming halls, 33 bingos and 4 casinos with betting corners. He 53% of the stores are in the capital. Regarding this area, López has asked the Gaming area of the General Security Directorate to make “an inspection effort” to guarantee that no minor or vulnerable person accesses a gambling venue.
Collaboration with the Government
The head of Justice, Interior and Victims has referred to the need to protect minors and vulnerable groups and combat gambling as “the great objectives” of the regional government in terms of gambling. López recalled that the Community, “in addition to improving current regulations”, has offered its “loyal collaboration” to the Government of Spain -competent in the regulation of online gaming and advertising- and has built bridges with the gaming sector.
“Compliance with the regulations requires collaboration between administrations, but also the sector, which must assume its responsibility in the protection of minors,” he defended. López has indicated that the Minister of Consumption, Alberto Garzón, has conveyed his gratitude for the offer of collaboration and that they will continue working together within the coordination of the bodies that exist between the State and the Autonomous Communities.
Likewise, the counselor has insisted that this problem must not be faced with “demagogy”, but with “responsible and serious principles”. “In Madrid, the legislation of the previous Government is already noticeable, since the growth of this activity has risen a 0.4% in 2019less than 1%, and in 2020, growth will not exceed 0.5% as a result of this stoppage”, he stressed, indicating that there is time to think.
Game rooms and betting houses
The new Community Inspection Plan plans to examine all the gaming halls and betting venues in the region and verify the correct installation and location of the user control and admission systems in the terms included in Decree 42/2019 of May.
The Plan began to be applied this Tuesday, the date on which the adaptation period of all premises to the regulations, and will last until next month of June. The Inspection Plan will be structured in three phases. The first, carried out throughout February and March, will include the inspection of all existing betting establishments; the second will take place in the month of May, and will include more selective visits to verify that the infractions detected in the first phase have been corrected; Finally, the third phase will take place in June and will include a specific control in premises with repeated infractions.
Some controls that, in addition to making sure the correct implementation of the meditions contemplated in the norm, They want to ensure that the control systems installed prevent the presence in the premises of especially protected and vulnerable groups such as minors and people registered in the Register of Gambling Access Bans.
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This new Inspection Plan is added to the one deployed since last November 18 and which was launched coinciding with the deadline for six months of adaptation to the May Decree for those premises that did not require work to install the access control systems.
Source: www.elperiodico.com
