Spain’s main addiction support group, UNAD, is asking for a full ban on gambling and betting ads. The organization says that advertising gambling goes against efforts to prevent addiction and protect people’s health.

UNAD believes that gambling ads can encourage people, especially young people, to develop harmful habits. These habits can cause serious social and financial problems. The group made this call on World Gambling-Free Day to highlight the hidden dangers of gambling and other non-drug addictions, like video gaming.

Hidden Addictions Often Go Unnoticed

According to UNAD, addictions that do not involve drugs or alcohol are often hard to notice because they do not show physical signs. Many people only realize they have a problem after it has caused serious emotional, social, and financial harm in their lives.

UNAD’s latest report studied over 1,300 people receiving help for these addictions at 24 different organizations across Spain. About 24 percent of those treated were women. Most women were over 49, Spanish, employed, and had children. Their main in-person addictions were slot machines and bingo, while online they mostly struggled with video gaming.

Most patients were men, aged 34 to 41, Spanish, employed, and without children. They were mostly addicted to slot machines in person, and sports betting online. These findings show that non-substance addictions affect many people of different ages and backgrounds.

UNAD Acknowledges Progress but Wants Stronger Rules

The organization recognized that Spain has made progress in regulating gambling. The General Directorate for Gaming Regulation has developed new technical standards to ensure that gambling ads include messages warning about addiction risks. These standards are part of Royal Decree 958/2020, which focuses on commercial communications for gambling activities.

However, UNAD argues that these measures do not go far enough. The group says that the only effective way to stop gambling-related harm is to ban all forms of gambling advertising and promotion, both online and in-person. They believe that as long as gambling is promoted, people will continue to be exposed to messages that normalize and encourage addictive behavior.

Call for New Protections for At-Risk People

UNAD’s president, Luciano Poyato, said that “the promotion of gambling is incompatible with prevention.” He warned that anyone can become addicted, especially when gambling starts at an early age.

The network is also urging the government to introduce new rules to limit how much money people can deposit into gaming platforms. UNAD believes that deposit limits would protect people who are most at risk and help reduce the social and health problems linked to gambling.

The group says that the country must act quickly to protect its citizens from the dangers of gambling, and that prevention should always come before profit.