Castilla y León minister announces gaming regulation review with 12,195 machines authorised

The regional government of Castilla y León will review its gaming regulations, Luis Miguel González Gago, minister of the Presidency of the Junta de Castilla y León, said at the opening of the XIX Congreso de Juego in Soria on 21 October. González Gago said the review should assess how existing rules work, identify difficulties in their application and weigh their effects on companies and users, according to the report.

According to figures González Gago gave in his opening speech, the sector comprises more than 450 companies and generates close to 2,000 direct jobs, and contributes approximately €60m a year to public funds. He said the regional government had held technical meetings with business representatives in recent months to learn their needs and collect proposals on how the rules are applied, and that it was interested in experiences in other autonomous communities.

González Gago said the Junta is working on a proposal for a prevention and care strategy for the period 2027-2030, intended to coordinate the actions of the administrations and entities involved and to strengthen protection, awareness, detection and care policies. He said the work requires participation from public health, social services, education and consumer affairs, as well as social entities and business associations.

On protection measures, he mentioned the regional register of people barred from gambling, which he said has approximately 15,046 people enrolled. He said the figure should be interpreted with caution and without drawing general conclusions about the phenomenon, while stressing the importance of permanent attention to prevention mechanisms.

González Gago also referred to recent action to update the rules applicable to recreational machines, saying new technologies and different operating models require procedures to be reviewed so that regulation can respond to new market realities. He said such processes should be carried out with knowledge of the activity and by comparing experiences among the parties involved.