The Spanish gaming halls industry has launched a coordinated pushback against regulatory negativity and media misrepresentation, using its 13th annual congress as a platform to reclaim control of the sector's public narrative under the banner "Juego en positivo" (Gaming in positive).
The ANESAR congress consolidated its position as a strategic analysis forum where industry leaders directly challenged what they characterised as systematic bias from national regulators and unfounded social alarm campaigns targeting legitimate gaming entertainment businesses.
Industry Faces 5.4% Competitiveness Decline
Juan Lacarra, Secretary General of ANESAR, diagnosed the market as entering a "rationalisation" phase, with the private gaming halls sector experiencing a 5.4% loss of competitiveness against advancing public and online gaming operations. Despite this challenge, Lacarra emphasised the industry's "unbreakable resilience" and capacity for adaptation.
“We have the responsibility and legitimacy to project another vision that is more real, more complete and also more just, in the face of negative narratives”
— Juan Lacarra, Secretary General of ANESAR
Lacarra highlighted the sector's economic contribution, sustaining 19,000 direct jobs and contributing over 320 million euros in taxes to public coffers. He called for regulatory "normalisation", particularly regarding payment methods and operating hours, warning that excessive bureaucracy risks suffocating entrepreneurial enthusiasm.
5.4%
Competitiveness decline for gaming halls
19,000
Direct jobs sustained by sector
€320M
Annual tax contributions
30,000
Annual inspections in Madrid
0.7%
Sanctions rate in Madrid gaming halls
99%
Users with healthy gaming relationships
Semantic Manipulation Challenge
Sociologist José Antonio Gómez-Yáñez delivered a sharp critique of what he termed the "semantic trap" that has ensnared the gaming industry by allowing critics to define official terminology. He urged operators to present themselves as entertainment businesses and defend the position that problem gambling in Spain remains residual, contradicting alarmist narratives.
The congress addressed head-on the linguistic battleground where industry opponents have successfully shaped regulatory discourse, calling for a fundamental reframing of how gaming halls are discussed in policy circles.
Strategic Communication Framework
Gaming operators should establish proactive media relations teams that monitor linguistic trends in regulatory discourse and develop counter-narratives before negative terminology becomes embedded in policy documents. Creating industry glossaries with preferred terminology and training spokespeople on consistent messaging helps combat semantic manipulation.
Madrid Official Criticises National Regulator Bias
Ramón Cubián, Director General of Suelo for the Community of Madrid, delivered pointed criticism of ideological bias within the national regulator. He recounted abandoning a DGOJ gaming congress after encountering a panel titled "the harm of gaming" (the harm of gaming).
“I don't understand how a regulator presents a panel saying 'the harm of gaming'. That's not starting from the basis of saying: look, I am the regulator of an activity and I believe that all of you are harmful... the problem is that they have put an anti-bullfighting person in charge of managing the bullring”
— Ramón Cubián, Director General of Suelo, Community of Madrid
Cubián presented inspection data defending Madrid gaming halls' management, revealing that in the vast majority of 30,000 annual inspections, "zero minors" (zero minors) have been recorded, with a sanctions rate below 0.7%.
Regional vs National Regulatory Dynamics
Spain operates a dual regulatory system where autonomous communities like Madrid handle territorial licensing while DGOJ manages online gaming and cross-regional coordination. This structure can create conflicts when regional authorities adopt more industry-friendly approaches than national regulators, leading to jurisdictional tensions over policy direction.
Industry Recognition and Leadership Continuity
A surprise recognition ceremony honoured Juan Lacarra for two decades (two decades) serving as ANESAR's Secretary General. José Vall, the association's president, praised Lacarra's loyalty, commitment and consistency, noting he has remained present through all "difficult games" without ever leaving the negotiating table.
“There is something that has enormous value: loyalty, commitment and Juan's constancy with us as one more businessman”
— José Vall, President of ANESAR
Visibly moved, Lacarra responded that he takes more from the sector than he brought to it, emphasising his pride in the industry he now considers home.
Association Leadership Tenure
Long-term association leadership provides institutional memory and regulatory relationship continuity that proves invaluable during policy negotiations. Juan Lacarra's two-decade tenure at ANESAR represents exceptional stability in an industry where leadership turnover often weakens advocacy effectiveness during critical regulatory periods.
Customer and Employee Voices Break Stereotypes
In an unprecedented move for such industry gatherings, the congress featured direct testimony from customers and employees, challenging marginality stereotypes typically associated with gaming halls.
Cristina García from the Plataforma para el Juego Sostenible emphasised that 99% of users maintain healthy relationships with gaming entertainment, pushing back against pathologising language.
“It's very good to talk about clients, but let's not self-flagellate because our clients are also players. Playing is not negative, it's very positive”
— Cristina García, Plataforma para el Juego Sostenible
Employee Luis Miguel Martínez denounced the social injustice of constantly having to justify gaming hall employment, drawing analogies with other sectors that face no equivalent scrutiny.
“Nobody thinks to tell someone going to a gym about the risk of developing muscle dysmorphia... nobody talks to a tobacconist about cancer, yet we feel exposed to constantly having to justify our work”
— Luis Miguel Martínez, Gaming Hall Employee
Public Perception Strategy
Including direct customer and employee testimonials in industry advocacy represents a significant tactical shift from traditional lobbying approaches. This humanisation strategy counters abstract policy arguments by putting real faces on industry impacts, making regulatory restrictions harder to justify when confronted with personal stories.
Motivational Framework for Industry Leadership
Carlos Andreu provided motivational guidance, encouraging operators to view their daily work beyond simple machine management. Using the metaphor of stonemasons building cathedrals, he urged attendees to find greater purpose in their routine efforts.
Andreu emphasised maintaining balance between family, work, health and friendships, describing successful leadership as being "reverse paranoid" – believing the environment can work in their favour when led with enthusiasm.
How to Implement Positive Industry Leadership
Reframe Daily Purpose
Move beyond operational tasks to identify the broader entertainment and social value your business provides to communities
Maintain Professional Balance
Actively manage work-life integration across family, health, and professional development to avoid burnout during regulatory pressure
Adopt Reverse Paranoia
Train leadership teams to identify opportunities within challenges and approach setbacks as potential competitive advantages
Build Cathedral Mindset
Connect routine operational work to long-term industry legacy and societal contribution beyond immediate profit metrics
Institutional Closure and Future Vision
The institutional closure featured Ramón Cubián combining professional demands with personal warmth, praising the industry's maturity and the congress's quality.
“You have known how to organise a congress with powerful, serious professional organisation, with feet on the ground, with present vision, with future vision... and that is an absolute key to success”
— Ramón Cubián, Director General of Suelo, Community of Madrid
Cubián stressed that public administration must go beyond regulation to generate mutual trust, noting that gaming halls' future depends directly on caring for employee welfare alongside customer experience.
José Vall concluded with a unity message, adapting ONCE's "well played" (well played) slogan to "well worked" (well worked), expressing pride in the sector's work. He acknowledged navigating stormy times but emphasised unbreakable adaptability.
“Our mast breaks, but we adapt and continue sailing”
— José Vall, President of ANESAR
The congress concluded with a resounding "long live freedom" (long live freedom), reaffirming ANESAR's commitment to legal, responsible and profoundly human entertainment.
Warning
Gaming operators must balance advocacy assertiveness with collaborative relationship-building when engaging regulators. Overly confrontational approaches risk hardening regulatory positions, while excessive accommodation can signal weakness. Success requires demonstrating technical competence while maintaining professional respect for regulatory authority.
Strategic Implications for European Gaming Regulation
This coordinated industry response signals a broader shift in how traditional gaming operators are positioning themselves against regulatory overreach across European markets. The Spanish gaming halls' direct confrontation with semantic manipulation and ideological bias in regulation could inspire similar pushback movements in other jurisdictions where land-based operators face disproportionate scrutiny compared to online and state-run gaming operations.
The emphasis on employment data, tax contributions, and compliance statistics represents a data-driven approach that other national associations might adopt when challenging regulatory negativity. Particularly notable is Madrid's inspection data showing near-zero underage access violations, which directly counters social harm narratives often used to justify restrictive policies. For operators across Europe, ANESAR's strategy of elevating customer and employee voices while challenging the linguistic framing of gaming discourse offers a template for defending legitimate entertainment businesses against disproportionate regulatory hostility.
ANESAR's data-driven pushback against regulatory negativity could inspire coordinated resistance across European jurisdictions where land-based operators face disproportionate scrutiny compared to online and state-run gaming operations.
It's a coordinated industry effort to reclaim control of the Spanish gaming sector's public narrative by challenging regulatory bias and media misrepresentation. The campaign emphasises the positive economic and social contributions of legitimate gaming entertainment businesses.
Madrid's inspection data shows exceptional compliance with zero minors recorded in 30,000 annual inspections and sanctions rates below 0.7%. This directly contradicts national narratives about widespread gaming hall violations and social harm.
This unprecedented move aimed to humanise the industry and break stereotypes about gaming hall clientele and workers. By featuring direct voices rather than just industry executives, ANESAR challenged marginalisation narratives with personal experiences.
This figure indicates gaming halls are losing market share to online platforms and state-run operations, forcing the sector into a 'rationalisation phase'. Despite this challenge, industry leaders emphasised their resilience and adaptation capacity.
The Spanish association's direct confrontation with semantic manipulation and regulatory bias could inspire similar pushback movements across Europe. Their data-driven approach and emphasis on employment/tax contributions offers a template for other jurisdictions facing regulatory hostility.
According to AzarPlus.
