Social Representations of Commercial Gambling in Spain (2011–2025): Ambivalence, Stigma, and the Limits of the “Responsible Gambling” Paradigm
Session Title
Gambling Psychology: Risk, Time & Escalation
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation
Start Date
28-5-2026 12:00 AM
Abstract
Over the past decade, commercial gambling has become increasingly visible in Spain, generating public controversy and regulatory debate. This paper presents findings from a longitudinal analysis of how private gambling has been represented in the Spanish press between 2011 and 2025, following the liberalization and digital expansion introduced by the 2011 Gambling Act. Drawing on social representations theory and critical discourse analysis, the study examines how media discourses construct gambling as a social object and shape public debate and policy responses. A qualitative analysis identifies four dominant and competing representations: moral (gambling as vice and social threat), economic (gambling as a legitimate productive sector), ludic (gambling as cultural and social leisure), and biomedical (gambling as addiction and public health risk). The findings show that these representations coexist in tension, producing ambivalence and fragmented governance. Dominant discourses tend to individualize harm, stigmatize players, and downplay structural factors such as regulation, market design, and advertising. In response, the paper proposes a shift beyond the “responsible gambling” paradigm toward a model of “gambling quality with shared responsibility,” which distributes responsibility across regulators, industry, media, communities, and players. This reframing offers insights for stigma reduction and more sustainable gambling governance.
Social Representations of Commercial Gambling in Spain (2011–2025): Ambivalence, Stigma, and the Limits of the “Responsible Gambling” Paradigm
Over the past decade, commercial gambling has become increasingly visible in Spain, generating public controversy and regulatory debate. This paper presents findings from a longitudinal analysis of how private gambling has been represented in the Spanish press between 2011 and 2025, following the liberalization and digital expansion introduced by the 2011 Gambling Act. Drawing on social representations theory and critical discourse analysis, the study examines how media discourses construct gambling as a social object and shape public debate and policy responses. A qualitative analysis identifies four dominant and competing representations: moral (gambling as vice and social threat), economic (gambling as a legitimate productive sector), ludic (gambling as cultural and social leisure), and biomedical (gambling as addiction and public health risk). The findings show that these representations coexist in tension, producing ambivalence and fragmented governance. Dominant discourses tend to individualize harm, stigmatize players, and downplay structural factors such as regulation, market design, and advertising. In response, the paper proposes a shift beyond the “responsible gambling” paradigm toward a model of “gambling quality with shared responsibility,” which distributes responsibility across regulators, industry, media, communities, and players. This reframing offers insights for stigma reduction and more sustainable gambling governance.