For years, online betting was perceived in Spain as an activity associated with the adult world. The most recent data forces us to revise that image. The ESTUDES 2025 survey, promoted by the National Drug Plan and conducted on a sample of more than 35,000 students between 14 and 18 years old, reveals that online gambling has penetrated strongly in secondary school classrooms across the country.
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13% of the total students surveyed in Spain admitted to having participated in this type of activity. The figure, which is already significant in itself, takes on a greater dimension when broken down by gender: among males, the participation rate in online gambling rises to 20.7%, which is equivalent to more than one in five adolescents. Among females, the percentage stands at 5.3%.
The gap is not limited to the digital environment. In face-to-face gambling, males also show notably higher participation, with 29.5% compared to 12.3% of young women. And although in most segments involvement in gambling increases as age advances, the study detects an exception: among women, online gambling does not follow that upward progression.
Burgos turns data into public policy
Faced with this scenario, not all municipalities in Spain have remained waiting for a response to come from regional or state levels. Burgos decided to act on its own and presented the first Municipal Plan for the Prevention of Addictions and Risk Behaviors in its history, a document that will be in force between 2025 and 2029 and which places online gambling as one of its central priorities.
The preparation of the plan was commissioned to the Geocuyl consulting firm for a value of $17,200, and its presentation was carried out by the Health Councilor, Carlos Niño. One of the most notable aspects of the process was the cross-party support it received from different political forces in the municipal government, a consensus that in public health matters is not always easy to achieve.
Science as a starting point: why young people are more vulnerable
The plan does not start from intuitions, but from evidence. Its focus on early prevention is supported by research on neurological development during adolescence, a stage in which the brain is still maturing and in which exposure to addictive behaviors (such as online betting) generates a deeper and more lasting impact than in adulthood.
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This scientific basis is not a minor detail: it implies that resources are not concentrated solely on those who already have a problem, but are directed toward those who do not yet have one but are at greater risk of developing it. Primary prevention, in that sense, is also the most efficient from an economic point of view.
An institutional commitment of more than $370,000
Political support for the plan translates into concrete budgetary commitments. The Burgos City Council will allocate $333,000 this year to agreements with local organizations working in the field, while the Castilla y León Regional Government will contribute more than $72,600 additional. The increase compared to previous years was received positively by sector entities, which will be able to sustain and expand their programs, including those aimed at groups in situations of special vulnerability.
To coordinate the implementation of all these initiatives, the Burgos municipal government will launch a municipal technical commission that will integrate professionals from different areas. The commitment to a cross-sector governance model recognizes that problem gambling cannot be addressed from health alone: it also needs the involvement of education, social services and other bodies that have direct contact with young people.
A model that Spain may need to replicate
The case of Burgos is not simply good local news. In a country where ESTUDES 2025 data confirms that online gambling among minors continues an upward trend, the Castilian initiative offers a replicable framework: medium-term planning, shared financing between administrations, anchoring in scientific evidence and coordination between sectors.
The question that remains open is whether other municipalities in Spain will follow that path before the figures continue to escalate.
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