The Haritik Hirira project has published raw data on the relationship between betting houses, income and the typology of the city's neighborhoods. In Donostia-San Sebastián, where the first analysis was carried out, it was found that most of the betting machines are located in the lower income neighborhoods. However, this phenomenon is even more evident in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Analyzing the capital of Alavesa, 222 sites with betting machines have been identified, twice as many as in Donostia-San Sebastián, and the neighborhoods of Coronation and Adurza have the highest number of machines per inhabitant; in low- and semi-low-income neighborhoods the number of premises per inhabitant is much higher than in the richest neighborhoods. "The situation has left us staggered; rather worrying data for a city of about 250,000 inhabitants.

The analysis was carried out by Gipuzkoan geographers Jon Macias and Josu del Campo, and has been disseminated via Twitter (@Haritik Hirira). They want to know the reality of the different capitals of Euskal Herria around very different topics, always with a view of geography and wanting to open a critical debate among the readers. The rise of betting houses has made this analysis concerned, and the next topic to be discussed will be Bilbao. "We have seen in San Sebastian that around the stadium of Anoeta there are many locals, and in Bilbao we want to know if that is true, if they accumulate in the area of San Mamés and if it is the stadium itself that makes them move." In Vitoria-Gasteiz, on the contrary, there is no local wager in the area of Mendizorrotza, but other factors must be taken into account; in Vitoria-Gasteiz, it is the neighborhood with the highest income and can be conditioned by the urban model. "In our capitals the highest incomes are found in single-family homes and in these urbanizations it is very difficult to put premises and shops. So, although indirectly, they avoid betting houses." On the contrary, in neighborhoods that live in compact housing blocks, it is easier to install premises in them, they have highlighted, "and therefore, it is easier for a neighbor to go to a betting house".

Strategic situation

Macias and Del Campo believe that the decisions to place betting houses in one or the other are not random decisions, but strategic decisions, and that's why there are more workers in the city neighborhoods. -After all, they know that need also pushes you to act. There are many economic problems to reach the end of the month, and often you see wagering as an opportunity, even if it's a false option, far from reality, but you know that in neighborhoods that don't need it the tendency to play usually will also be smaller, you don't care so much."

According to the analysis, the Coronation neighborhood of Vitoria-Gasteiz could be one of the main exponents of the problem that exists with betting machines. It is one of the neighborhoods with the lowest income and the highest unemployment, in which up to 19 places can be found with betting machines. "In addition to being a working-class neighborhood, the centrality is also important in this neighborhood, in the center of Vitoria-Gasteiz, and close to the busiest streets and therefore with numerous hospitality facilities," they explained. The situation of Adurza is also "very worrisome", as it is the neighborhood in which more locals per inhabitant can be found: There are 12 premises per 6,000 inhabitants. In Aretxabaleta, on the contrary, there are no premises with betting machines, as the number of inhabitants is similar.

Adurtza has the highest number of premises per inhabitant: There are 12 premises with a population of 6,000

The data obtained also show that behind a betting house there is usually another. "You may think that there may be great competition between them, that one place will harm the other, but they feed each other back together. Wherever there is a machine, they create more and attract more people. We have also seen those areas of agglomeration in Euskal Herria and out of here."

Macias and Del Campo, among other things, consider that the law leaves many more difficulties until a regulation is established so that the number of machines does not increase "without measure", as there are no measures to locate them at a certain distance from the ikastolas. "Although only those over the age of 18 can act, the regulation is rather vague; it can pose a serious problem for young people," he said.

Court in premises

In the Basque Autonomous Community, the old betting house opened in 2008 and has since increased considerably, moving from betting houses to gambling and betting machines installed in hospitality venues to the present 10,500. The Basque Government agreed in early 2020 not to grant new licences to betting houses on a provisional basis until the sector is regulated. "The aim of the regulatory review is to reduce the risks of improper use of play among young people and adolescents and to avoid, as far as possible, dependency problems," said the then Security Advisor, Estefanía Beltrán de Heredia.

In February of this year, the matter has again been discussed in the Basque Parliament with a proposal for a law amending the regulation of the game established by Elkarrekin Podemos in 1991. Although it did not succeed, all parties advocated updating the law and adapting it "to the current reality of the game" through regulation and planning. As explained by parliamentarian Iñigo Martínez, there are 43,000 people from Araba, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa who have gambling problems, and 5% of young people are addicted to gambling. We could propose, among other things, a maximum of one casino in the province, with a maximum of 100 gambling dens and 50 betting houses, and a minimum distance of 500 meters between both premises, as well as between schools, universities, youth premises and player rehabilitation centres.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in the tendency in recent months to act on the Internet rather than on physical establishments. Customers and betting houses know that playing from home is becoming easier and more attractive, helped by advertising,” he recalled from Haritik Hirira.

Since 31 August last, the Spanish Government has placed a limit on the advertising of companies in the sector. The decree states that television and radio stations will only be able to broadcast their ads between 01:00 and 5:00 in the morning, so during sports broadcasts the announcement of betting houses will not be offered and sports teams will not bear their name on t-shirts.

Need for regulation

Asajer, the Álava Rehabilitation Players Association, has recalled that dependency has increased considerably in recent years and has underlined the need to limit online gambling and betting houses. "We believe that in Vitoria-Gasteiz there are too many locals, even if the law so allows," said the president of the association, Idoia Axpe. "We have been asking since 1989 for measures to be taken from the association and other groups; first with slot machines, then with betting machines, now with online gambling... I have the feeling that regulations always go far behind, that they are only put in place when they are a real problem." Axpe has insisted on the need to "watch" the number of young people who have problems with sports betting and warned that it does not take too long to develop dependency "especially through the network now, anywhere, at any time".