Spain bans betting on sports featuring junior athletes

Spain has amended the nation’s gambling laws to prohibit wagering on sports featuring underaged participants.

The Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ) announced on Monday that licensed sports betting operators “will not be able to include in their program of events those that are played exclusively or predominantly by minors.”

The gambling regulatory body said the changes were made to better protect child athletes from corruption and exploitation.

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The DGOJ is also hoping to draw clearer lines of distinction between junior sports and the betting industry in a bid to reduce problem gambling among young people.

The move is but one part of a broader campaign to improve sporting integrity in Spain, which recently formed a new commission to tackle match-fixing, betting fraud and other corruption issues.

A few other European nations have also taken a stance against gambling on minors.

Only last month, the Swedish regulatory body fined eight betting companies a total of SEK 41 million for running markets on age-level football tournaments.

A number of high-profile firms were included in those sanctions, such as Betfair, Hillside Sports and the Stars Group.