FEJAR, ONCE and Complutense launch youth problem-gambling prevention contest

FEJAR, the Cátedra Extraordinaria sobre Juego Responsable de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid and ONCE launched the audiovisual contest "Crear para Prevenir", ONCE said. The contest invites young people to make reels that promote critical thinking and responsible gambling, according to the announcement.

The contest is open to university and vocational training students aged 18 to 25. Entries must be submitted by 15 January. Prizes are redeemable cheques of €3,000 for first place, €1,500 for second and €500 for third.

ONCE said the contest promotes reflection on responsible gambling as a rational and informed choice that should remain within leisure and entertainment. It said the approach is peer-to-peer prevention, with young people creating messages for other young people that are direct, close and effective, and that entries should encourage critical thinking, self-care and responsible gambling in a preventive, realistic and non-stigmatising way.

FEJAR will lead the contest and handle its administrative coordination, oversee its preventive and social focus and run the call for entries at the technical level. The joint chair on responsible gambling and its communication run by ONCE and the UCM will supply academic and technical backing, assist with outreach, administer the scholarships and host the closing ceremony. ONCE, for its part, will provide guidance on universal accessibility and on safe, responsible gambling.

Ubaldo Cuesta, director of the Cátedra de Juego Responsable y su Comunicación, said the proposal is effective because it is designed for young people to use their own forms of communication. Miguel Prieto, head of Calidad, Seguridad y Juego Responsable at ONCE, said the contest focuses on developing digital materials, short videos known as reels for social media, to generate preventive materials.

At the start of October, ONCE and the UCM held the event "Juego Responsable, educación y familia" to discuss the impact of digital habits on young people. The meeting brought together educators, researchers and students to develop preventive tools adapted to new technologies.