Major crackdown on underage gambling in Spain’s betting venues

A NATIONWIDE operation to tackle underage gambling is well underway with simultaneous raids and inspections being carried out at bookmakers, arcades and casinos across Spain.

Operation ‘Arcade’ was launched after a report published by the Directorate General for Game Management revealed addiction to gaming has become one of the biggest threats for young people.

The initiative is being carried out in a coordinated fashion involving officers from across the country.

All gambling venues will be visited, and in the event one of the ‘clients’ is under the age of 18, the owner of the premises could face the possibility of losing their gaming licence as well as incur a hefty fine.

The children will then be taken to the police station to be picked up by their parents.

The outcome of the large-scale operation will be made public on Tuesday, October 3.