TOURISM COMPANY CELEBRATES THE FIRST RESPONSIBLE GAMING SUMMIT IN PUERTO RICO
San Juan, PR – The Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (CTPR), Carla Campos, announced the celebration of the First Responsible Gaming Summit in Puerto Rico, on Tuesday, July 24, in the La Arcada area of Paseo La Princesa. This is the first occasion that government agencies regulating gambling matters, operators of related businesses, and health agencies come together to discuss, study, and reevaluate all initiatives being carried out in the gambling industry on the Island. The all-day forum included several panels composed of representatives from government and the private sector. In line with global trends, all invited panelists recognized the need to join efforts both in the government sector and in related businesses to address the effects of compulsive gambling or gambling addiction.
“We have held this first Responsible Gaming Summit aware that beyond the positive economic impact that gambling generates for the General Fund of Puerto Rico, the students of the University of Puerto Rico, and the economic and social development of the Island, it is fundamentally important to address the effects that may arise from compulsive gambling behavior in a population and the social responsibility of all its components,” expressed the Executive Director of the CTPR.
The concept of responsible gaming is one used in the United States, Europe, Central America, and South America to define the social responsibility, both of governments and gambling businesses, to address issues of compulsive gambling and the duties of prevention, identification, and assistance.
The World Health Organization and the APA (American Psychological Association) in the 1980s recognized gambling addiction as a problem of social, economic, and health nature worldwide.
By virtue of Law 74 of 2006, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company is obligated to disburse the amount of $250,000.00 annually to the Administration of Mental Health and Addiction Services (Department of Health) to assist the population with compulsive gambling problems.
The first Responsible Gaming Summit was held as a result of the need established by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company and the administration of Governor Ricardo Rosselló Nevares to join governmental and private efforts to create new means of identification and treatment opportunities for the population.
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