Catalan ombudsman calls for immediate cancellation of Barcelona casino conference

Lea Hogg November 3, 2024

SiGMA news

Catalan ombudsman calls for immediate cancellation of Barcelona casino conference

Catalan ombudsman, David Bondia, (pictured above) has urged Barcelona’s City Council to cancel the upcoming international casino and gambling fair, set to be hosted by the city for the next five years. This move, Bondia argues, contradicts the city’s existing policies against gambling addiction. In his statement, Bondia said that the council “possesses legal means” to avoid the congress, and he encouraged discussions with Fira de Barcelona, the fair’s hosting body, to either cancel or negotiate an early termination of the contract with ICE, the event organisers. If cancellation is not possible, Bondia insists that Barcelona should refrain from promoting the fair and instead underscore the city’s commitment to addiction prevention.

Bondia’s concerns highlight a “blatant contradiction” between the city’s strategies aimed at reducing gambling-related harm and its simultaneous decision to host one of the world’s largest gaming and betting expos. He pointed to the council’s recent health policies, which include restricting gambling advertising, reducing gambling establishments, and promoting addiction prevention. Bondia remarked that Fira de Barcelona’s strategic vision must align with the city’s values, adopting exclusion criteria to reject industries that undermine public health initiatives.

Ombudsman condemns event as a conflict with city’s addiction prevention policies

The Ombudsman’s report reveals that Barcelona’s recent gambling regulations, such as the 2019-2023 Gambling Addiction Prevention Plan, actively discourage the promotion of gambling within the city. This plan calls for restricting gambling advertisements across public spaces, including transportation networks, and mandates that recipients of city subsidies adopt measures to combat addiction. The event also conflicts with the Barcelona Public Health Agency’s (ASPB) Action Plan on Drugs and Addictions (2019-2024), which aims to educate the public on the dangers of gambling. The ASPB’s plan contains 50 specific strategies designed to reduce problem gambling and mitigate its public health impact.

Additionally, the fair has sparked disapproval from the Generalitat de Catalunya, led by the ERC, and Health Minister Manel Balcells, who linked the event to the recent political alliance among the PSC, Comuns, and PP. Balcells criticised the council’s support of a social model where, he says, “the most vulnerable always lose, and the banks always win.” His statement underscores a growing political divide regarding the fair, as many see it as an endorsement of an industry that the city has actively sought to regulate.

Bondia’s report also criticised the city council’s communication lapses, noting that the Department of Health only learned of the casino fair’s approval through media coverage. He emphasised that this lack of formal communication from the council’s economic office to relevant municipal departments undermines transparency and coordination within the administration.

Bondia’s call for action spotlights Barcelona’s ongoing struggle to reconcile its public health commitments with economic ambitions. As local leaders weigh the merits and drawbacks of the casino fair, they must decide whether to uphold the city’s addiction prevention policies or yield to the economic allure of hosting one of the largest global gaming events.