Impact of socio-environmental factors on compulsive gambling and the need for prevention through gambling regulations. Considerations of the Draft Law on Gambling by the Regional Valencian Government (Spain)

Since gambling was legalized in Spain in 1977, bingos, casinos and slot machines underwent
an enormous boom in our cities and, in a short time, the first cases of compulsive gambling
in Spain appeared. Far from taking measures to curb this situation, easy accessibility to the
gambling world, the proliferation of places to gamble and the appearance of new, more addictive
gambling (pj, online gambling and sports betting) have contributed, among other factors,
to gambling having become a serious problem in society, from which minors are not exempt.
In this article, predisposing factors in compulsive gambling are described, with the need for
the Administration to implement legal measures protect citizens from gambling and generate
responsible gambling policies have become particularly relevant. In this context, the Draft Law
that the Regional Valencian Government approved on October 25, 2019 in relation to the
Gambling Law in the Region of Valencia (Spain) is analyzed and some considerations to be
taken into account in the regulation of gambling are detailed by the Valencian Courts and also
by other regional or state-level institutions.