(Jamma) The City Council of Venice has unanimously approved the motion which asks the Government and Parliament to take all the regulatory measures necessary to prohibit the installation and use of electronic devices for gambling purposes in public places and open to the public, limiting their presence only in casinos.
Below is the text of the motion
Given that
for at least ten years there has been an incessant diffusion and advertising of gambling and of the most varied forms of betting, lotteries and electronic games;
Whereas
gambling is becoming a social scourge which in some cases leads to a real psychopathological addiction which, with the mirage of easy and immediate wealth, risks ruining people and their families;
Noting that
gambling drives a turnover of 77 billion euros (“IL SOLE 24 ORE” of 23 January 2012);
Noting that
in the province of Venice alone, more than 1250 euros per capita are spent on gaming (“IL SOLE 24 ORE” of 23 January 2012) and in Italy between 900 and 1,8 million people are affected by gambling addiction (figure "SAMAN" association against addictions)
Whereas
particularly exposed to the risk of gambling addiction are «those belonging to the weakest categories such as: young people, the unemployed, families who cannot make ends meet and elderly people alone», who think they can find hope in gambling solution to the problems of loneliness, boredom, illusion of wealth;
Noting that
game addiction, taking the form of a real impulse control disorder, is often associated with other addictions such as alcohol abuse and that game addiction frequently turns into mood disorders, with serious psychosocial consequences not only on a personal level , but also family and social (divorce, separation, violence);
Noting that
the excessive use of gambling ends up alienating the player from reality, generating illegal behavior such as theft, fraud, obsessive search for money to deal with gambling debts and favors the consolidation of organized crime;
Verified that
– the presence of slot machines, video poker and more generally of "electronic gambling" has taken on a very significant dimension in public establishments (bars, leisure clubs, tobacconists, etc.) easily accessible to all and widespread in every corner of the city;
– this diffusion in public places does not allow, unlike what happens in casinos, any form of control or monitoring of the phenomenon
– other acts contrary to public order often occur in the establishments in question (fights, thefts, etc.)
Whereas
the licenses for the administration of drinks and food also contemplate the use of games in public exercises, without limitations if not connected to the surface of the exercise;
believed that
to stem the serious phenomenon, it is appropriate to provide for a ban on the installation of electronic gambling systems (so-called slot machines) in public places or places open to the public and in clubs and associations;
All of this being said and considered:
The City Council of Venice
asks
to the Government and Parliament to take all the regulatory measures necessary to prohibit the installation and use of electronic devices for gambling in public places and open to the public, limiting their presence only in casinos;
invites
the Region in agreement with the Local Health Authority 12 to promote an awareness and prevention campaign to inform about the risks of "gambling addiction", better known as "gambling fever", and the serious damage that this addiction causes;
wishes
that Parliament could, as happened for cigarettes and tobacco, go so far as to ban advertising relating to games of chance or, alternatively, to provide for strict regulation;
gives mandate
the President of the Municipal Council and the Mayor to send the motion in question to the Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic and to the Presidents of the competent commissions.
