Low-income municipalities have 40% more bars with slot machines

Catalonia has just over 28,000 slot machines installed in bars and restaurants, according to 2024 data from the Department of Economy and Finance.

This number is still below pre-pandemic levels, and the number of establishments where they can be found is decreasing, but even so, such machines are still found in a third of Catalonia's bars and restaurants.

Towns with income levels below the average have 40% more bars with these machines compared to more affluent municipalities. 

In total, there were 15,502 bars and restaurants with slot machines in Catalonia in 2024, a total of 33.6% of licensed establishments. Ten years ago, however, the figure was much higher, as you could play games of chance in 44% of establishments, or precisely 19,042 such premises.

"Perfect storm" for addiction problems

Josep Maria Fàbregas, a psychiatrist specializing in addictions, explains to the Catalan News Agency (ACN) that a person's economic situation "has a great influence on addiction" to such gambling machines, and regrets the lack of "restrictions" or controls in the hospitality industry. He calls slot machines a "perfect storm" for people with gambling addiction problems.

The psychiatrist recalls that, often, behind problematic gambling, there are situations of impulsive behavior and the inability to control stimuli and desire.

For this reason, he regrets that slot machines are freely accessible in bars, and this explains why "relapses are very high" among people with addiction problems. "People who are not of age or who recognize problems with gambling can play there," the doctor points out.

Fàbregas runs a research and treatment center for addictions in Dosrius, from where he explains to ACN that gambling addiction is the main behavioral addiction they treat.

Although he welcomes the fact that the number of establishments with slot machines is decreasing, he believes that “the figure is still stratospheric.”

Possible explanations

According to the National Association of Entrepreneurs of Recreational Machines of Catalonia (Andemar), there may be fewer bars with slot machines in them as part of a growing trend of specialized establishments, such as cafés and wine bars, to the detriment of "neighbourhood bars," where slow machines are most commonly found. 

President of the entity, Carlos Duelo, points out that the machines are still “an important part" of the economy of these establishments. “They cover many of the expenses of the establishment,” he estimates.

Both Duelo and Fàbregas also point to the rise of online gaming, both among young people and in other layers of society, to help understand the decline of in-person gaming in bars.