This information was provided by a councilor during a parliamentary commission, where it was detailed that, despite regulations with retroactive effects from January 1, 2024, 29 establishments have been detected failing to meet the required distance. Of these, 26 are located in Gran Canaria, and one each in Tenerife, La Palma, and Fuerteventura.
In response, the regional executive has initiated closure files for each case. Although the affected companies have appealed to the courts, initial judicial rulings have favored the Administration, rejecting the precautionary measures requested by the operators. The case of an establishment in the Atlántico neighborhood of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria was also clarified; it was not a new opening but a relocation to a site closer to an educational center.
The Canary Islands Government is finalizing a new regulatory decree that will introduce significant changes to the sector. Among the novelties, mandatory access controls will be implemented to verify customer age and prevent minors from entering. The regulation will also require physical separation of dining and gaming areas in establishments with cafeterias, granting a 12-month period for adaptations.
The new regulation will have an initial validity of five years, extendable, and will expand the minimum distance of 300 meters to all educational stages, including centers for minors and vulnerable groups. Furthermore, gaming and bingo halls cannot be located less than 200 meters from each other. Another important measure is that individuals with gambling addiction must remain on the self-exclusion register for at least six months before being able to re-access these establishments.
The decree also includes the introduction of electronic payment methods to reduce robberies and assaults. Regarding sector planning, the number of casinos will remain at twelve, bingo halls will increase from 42 to 45, while the number of recreational machines will be significantly reduced from 14,812 to 7,200, and betting shop authorizations will decrease from 95 to 35. Gaming halls will have island-specific limits, with an initial maximum of 26 establishments, expandable by four per year during the decree's validity.
All parliamentary groups, except one, supported the new regulation. Some warned that the main risk no longer lies in physical establishments but in online gambling accessible via mobile phones, describing the decree as regulation aimed at a traditional sector model. A deputy highlighted the scale of the problem in the archipelago, noting that 12% of adolescents admit to having gambling-related issues. The councilor acknowledged that the greatest threat is currently online betting, which falls under state jurisdiction, but emphasized coordinated actions with the Ministry of Education to provide talks on responsible screen use in schools. The executive has also requested collaboration from the Canarian Federation of Municipalities to regulate outdoor advertising for these venues.
