Spain: Ministry raises alarm on potential harm with teenage gambling
Spain's Ministry of Consumer Affairs has raised concerns over a lack of education on gambling risks among students.
Key points:
– Less than half of students reported receiving information about gambling risks
– Nearly 20% admitted to playing with money at least once, mainly in-person
– A higher risk of problem gambling was identified among 26% of the students, especially boys
Spain’s Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030 has warned of a gap in the information provided to teenagers about the risks of gambling.
The findings, drawn from a survey conducted by the Spanish Observatory of Drugs and Addictions, cover students aged between 14 and 18 years in secondary education.
The analysis highlighted that 48.4% of students said they had received guidance on gambling risks.
This contrasts with the higher proportions of students that have been educated about other issues, such as the misuse of technology (74%) or legal drugs (72.3%).
According to the survey, 19.8% of respondents admitted they have gambled with money at least once, with in-person play more common than online gambling, particularly among boys (26.8% compared to 12.6% of girls).
Good to know: The average age of gambling initiation was reported as 13.9 years
The survey also identified higher risks associated with betting, slot machines and card games, where 26% of respondents showed signs of potentially problematic gambling behaviour.
Still, most respondents reported occasional and low-spending behaviour as 62.5% said they gambled only once a year and with a low amount of money.
Officials said the study is an important tool to guide future prevention and intervention measures aimed at reducing early gambling exposure and problem behaviour among young people.
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