Castilla y León gaming congress opens in Soria with focus on responsible play

The XIX Congreso de Juego de Castilla y León opened in Soria on 20 October, bringing together representatives of public administrations, companies, associations and professionals to examine the situation and challenges of the private land-based gaming sector. The congress runs on 20 and 21 October and includes panel discussions and presentations on the sector's main challenges.

Luis Miguel González Gago, councillor of the Presidency, said the event allows participants to share experiences, learn about different perspectives and analyse the economic, social and technological changes affecting the sector. He stressed the importance of maintaining a channel of dialogue between all actors in the activity, which has specific regulation, to reconcile the industry's economic development with the protection of vulnerable groups.

González Gago said the private gaming sector in Castilla y León has more than 450 companies linked to the activity, close to 2,000 direct jobs and an annual tax contribution of about €60m. Across the region's nine provinces there are three casinos, 16 bingo halls, 116 gaming halls and 13 betting shops, as well as 73 betting areas and 70 betting corners. The region has 12,195 authorised gaming machines, of which 9,571 are installed in hospitality establishments.

On responsible gambling, the regional government said prevention of risk behaviour is one of the lines of action of its gaming policy, with attention to the protection of people. It said 1,146 people are registered in the register of persons prohibited from accessing gambling. The Comisión Técnica de Coordinación del Juego Responsable, created in 2025, brings together representatives of different regional ministries, the regional federation of municipalities and provinces, social entities and business associations in the sector, and is at an advanced stage of drafting the 2027-2030 Strategy for the Prevention and Treatment of Pathological Gambling.

González Gago also addressed the updating of the region's regulatory framework following the modification of the law in 2024 and the approval of specific rules on raffles, tombolas, random combinations and server-operated machines. The next step will be to review and adapt the regulations in the different areas, such as casinos, bingo, gaming halls, machines and betting, as well as advertising, sponsorship and promotion of gambling.

The councillor said the sector's companies have repeatedly shown commitment to legality, technological innovation, self-regulation and social responsibility, and stressed the need for permanent attention to preventing problem gambling behaviour, protecting minors and vulnerable groups, defending users' rights and preventing fraud. He said gaming regulation requires finding a balance between legitimate interests: legal certainty and business activity on one hand, and the protection of users and the general interest on the other.