1 00:00:00,690 --> 00:00:04,690 Good afternoon everyone, my name is Jorge and I'm in charge of the first world tour. 2 00:00:04,690 --> 00:00:07,690 We have listened to your arguments, but we have some objections. 3 00:00:07,690 --> 00:00:11,689 At first you mentioned that online gambling is more addictive. 4 00:00:11,689 --> 00:00:18,690 But even if this is true, banning online gambling is not the solution to stop compulsive gambling. 5 00:00:18,690 --> 00:00:20,690 Addicts will do anything to satisfy their needs. 6 00:00:20,690 --> 00:00:29,690 Do you truly think that getting into a physical casino would stop gamblers from taking gambling? 7 00:00:29,690 --> 00:00:37,390 Gambling? Absolutely not. In fact, physical casinos can offer different devices or services that would keep gamblers better. 8 00:00:38,030 --> 00:00:39,609 So this wouldn't make any change. 9 00:00:39,609 --> 00:00:45,369 At second, you mentioned that it would have bad effects to the population. 10 00:00:45,490 --> 00:00:51,390 But let me remind you that we are all aware that gambling is a huge problem in our society. 11 00:00:51,689 --> 00:00:56,030 But we are here to assess whether it should be banned or not. 12 00:00:56,670 --> 00:00:59,469 And finally, you said that it would make a poorer society. 13 00:00:59,689 --> 00:01:05,689 But physical casinos also caused deaths into consumers, so it wouldn't make any difference. 14 00:01:05,689 --> 00:01:10,689 Now let me remind you of our main arguments and why we stand against the motion. 15 00:01:10,689 --> 00:01:14,689 First, mitigation of harm can only be achieved via regulation. 16 00:01:14,689 --> 00:01:19,689 When the US banned the consumption of alcohol in the 20s, it actually increased consumption. 17 00:01:19,689 --> 00:01:22,689 However, the outcomes did not stop at all. 18 00:01:22,689 --> 00:01:27,689 Third, the prices of alcohol increased a lot. 19 00:01:27,689 --> 00:01:33,689 The quality of the alcohol reduced a lot up to the point to be considered a poison. 20 00:01:33,689 --> 00:01:37,689 And finally, minors had an easier access to alcohol. 21 00:01:37,689 --> 00:01:45,689 If it were had been banned, and instead there was a regulation, all these effects would have not happened, 22 00:01:45,689 --> 00:01:49,689 because consumers were going to consume it either way it was legal or not. 23 00:01:49,689 --> 00:01:55,689 So if there was a regulation that had protected them, this would have not happened. 24 00:01:55,689 --> 00:02:00,290 And this is why we strongly believe that regulation is the only way to control online gambling. 25 00:02:01,129 --> 00:02:03,890 Our second point is the hypocrisy of the state. 26 00:02:03,890 --> 00:02:11,030 In 2021, the state did not only gain €638 billion from the earnings of gambling in physical casinos, 27 00:02:11,129 --> 00:02:22,229 but also €427 billion from common taxes and social contributions at the same time that over 15,000 new jobs were created through this industry. 28 00:02:22,229 --> 00:02:29,729 With this measure, what the government is trying to do is to take a bigger bite of the economic cake that gambling is. 29 00:02:30,750 --> 00:02:39,349 So, instead, and also physical casinos have other devices and services to keep gamblers' attention, so it wouldn't make any difference. 30 00:02:39,949 --> 00:02:45,669 Our objective must be reducing the huge problem that gambling is, not to take advantage of it. 31 00:02:46,090 --> 00:02:48,250 Therefore, only gambling shouldn't be banned. 32 00:02:48,250 --> 00:02:53,250 And finally, our last argument, loss of money for the state. 33 00:02:53,250 --> 00:02:58,250 As we have mentioned previously, with this measure, the state, what it is trying to do 34 00:02:58,250 --> 00:03:03,250 looking forward, is to get a profit from the consumer gambling disease. 35 00:03:03,250 --> 00:03:07,250 Nothing less, with this measure, Spain will go under a cover effect that will cause an 36 00:03:07,250 --> 00:03:09,250 important loss of money. 37 00:03:09,250 --> 00:03:16,250 Online gambling produces over 140 billion euros for taxes, which represents around 2% 38 00:03:16,250 --> 00:03:22,729 of the spanish gdp even if the states achieve these proposals and a lot of people move into 39 00:03:22,729 --> 00:03:31,050 physical casinos not all the users will even if it's only a 3.1 percent of the gdp which is lost 40 00:03:31,050 --> 00:03:36,729 in the way it will represent a huge loss for the states since that 0.1 percent of the gdp 41 00:03:36,729 --> 00:03:43,610 is over 1.2 billion euros and all of you know that it's been screwing a huge economic crisis and we 42 00:03:43,610 --> 00:03:44,969 cannot afford that. 43 00:03:46,009 --> 00:03:47,729 For these reasons, it's clear 44 00:03:47,729 --> 00:03:49,509 that online gaming shouldn't be banned 45 00:03:49,509 --> 00:03:51,189 in Spain. Thank you very much. 46 00:03:51,409 --> 00:03:51,849 Thank you.