Spanish gambling regulator Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ) has introduced new measures which will ban betting operators from offering betting markets on youth sporting events.
The ruling applies to contests in which all of the participants, or most of those competing, are under the age of 18.
The resolution, which was agreed upon earlier this month, will come into effect tomorrow, after being announced today on Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE), the country’s official state gazette.
An official statement released by the Spanish Ministry of Finance announced: “There are several reasons why the DGOJ believes that it is not beneficial for minors to be involved in betting events, whether of a sporting nature or not. The reasons and decisions made are constitutionally recognised and are directly connected to the betting regulators’ objective of having the sole interest of the minors at heart.”
The statement cited the decision was made was to avoid trivializing the risk of gambling and to guarantee the minors involved were able to achieve a healthy development and participation, without the risk of being influenced by economic interests.
Moreover, It is believed that these events were more easily susceptible to third party influence and manipulation due to the maturity of youth competitors not being fully developed.
As such, the new regulation is set to establish a clear separation between minors and betting, in an attempt to provide a safeguard for the development of the competitors.
In its statement announced on the BOE, the Spanish Ministry of Finance concluded by stating: “Licensed Gaming operators will not be able to offer markets for events which are featured exclusively or mostly by minors. This Resolution shall take effect from the day following its publication in the BOE.”
