Montevideo becomes focus of Uruguay’s responsible gambling strategy

Uruguay has doubled down on its commitment to strengthening the country’s responsible gambling strategy, with policymakers in the capital of Montevideo signing a long-term agreement with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of the Republic. 

The municipality’s decision follows that of the national Directorate of State Casinos, which strengthened its efforts against gambling harm by teaming up with the faculty after a report commissioned by the educational body highlighted that “in Uruguay there are more than 35,000 people who are gamblers and almost twice as many suffer from the problematic game”.

As reported by SBC Noticias, the government of Uruguay will look to expand its 2009 Program for the Prevention and Treatment of Pathological Gambling by placing a magnifying glass on Montevideo’s population. 

The program itself provides therapeutic support services at no cost to bettors who are experiencing problematic gambling disorders.

Furthemore, the Faculty of Medicine added that the new contract in place with Montevideo’s mayor office will “maintain and improve” its existing research on problem gambling behaviour by “carrying out teaching, research and extension activities through the Department of Medical Psychology at the Hospital de Clínicas”.

Part of the new measures will be to implement a more robust responsible gambling framework to help with the self-exclusion of pundits at the Casino Parque Hotel, which is one of the biggest land-based venues in the capital. 

Gerardo Lorbeer, Head of the Municipal Casino Management branch, added: “There are operators who have been there for more than 30 years. That has allowed them to have elements to have alerts from someone they know. 

“But we want to take advantage of this agreement so that the academy can guide us more firmly where the early warning is. 

“What we hope to do, first of all, is to train and sensitise the people who work in the casino, so that people who suffer from gambling addiction can also have the best support.”

Meanwhile, Uruguay’s Congress announced that official talks will continue to determine whether online gambling in the country will be legalised. 

As of now, brick-and-mortar casinos can only operate in specially designated ‘Tourism Zones’, while the market allows very limited retail sports betting.

An Online Gambling Bill was approved by the Chamber of Senators in August 2022 to further liberalise the country’s gambling sector, but has since been placed under a lid awaiting review by the Committees of the House of Representatives due to mounting opposition.