CARLOS CHACÖN DECLARATIONS:
In relation to what happened in our territory yesterday, I would like to call on our legislators and politicians to reflect on the consequences of an attack on a necessary control activity such as the Gambling Sector: the danger of the proliferation of clandestinity is a fact.
Gambling, I repeat, is a legal and necessary activity. Good and proper measures are being taken that were needed, such as restrictions on advertising and access controls (although we have to give time for these measures to take effect). We are a tremendously controlled and regulated activity, but if we continue to pass unhelpful restrictions, if we continue to be squeezed and drowned, we will be eliminated, and the result will be the opposite of what we are trying to achieve, the result will be the proliferation of illegal gambling and the lack of control. What they are trying to protect will be at the mercy of the fraudulent.
We contribute with our taxes, we comply with all kinds of general and sectoral regulations, we create jobs, we promote responsible gambling beyond even access controls, so we deserve fair and equal treatment.
There is an obvious double standard in gambling. On the one hand, we have the "good game", the public, which they champion as entertainment that is part of our culture and society. And on the other hand, there is the "bad game", the private one, which some people insist on criticising and attacking, alluding to the damage to society. It is totally discriminatory to stigmatize the customers of gambling halls who exercise their free right to choose the entertainment they want like any other group. Favouring some while demonising others is a complete injustice that must be rectified.