Murcia plans access controls and advertising limits in gambling reform

The Murcia regional government plans to approve before the end of 2026 a reform affecting five gambling regulations. The package would strengthen access controls at establishments, merge registers of banned persons and regulate outdoor advertising. The regulatory package is listed in the regional executive's Plan Normativo, according to the report.

The planned measures include mandatory access-control systems in gaming halls and betting shops, together with the unification of databases of self-excluded persons and those entered in banned-person registers, with the aim of preventing their entry into these establishments. The reform also envisages limiting the visibility of advertising and signage of premises from public roads. The policy of granting no new authorisations for opening halls is maintained, a line the report says has been kept for the last eight years.

Separately, the Regional Assembly has called for an Integral Shock Plan against youth gambling addiction, approved unanimously in the Education and Culture Committee. The motion was backed by the PSOE, PP, Vox and IU-Verdes parliamentary groups and proposes strengthening prevention and care for minors. Among its proposals is the setting of minimum distances from educational centres, through a regulation delimiting how close betting establishments may be to schools and secondary schools, with the aim of incorporating school-environment protection criteria into the planning of premises.

The motion also calls for greater coordination between educational centres, paediatric services, child and adolescent mental health care and specialised addiction units. The aim is to establish specific protocols for minors under 16 that allow earlier detection and care of possible problem gambling behaviour. The report says the measures fall under two complementary lines: updating regional regulation of establishments and strengthening prevention and assistance tools for the youth population. Their final scope will depend on the approval and regulatory specification of the announced initiatives.