title: Gambling in Spain: update on experience, research and policy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the current situation of gambling in Spain, sketching its history and discussing the regulations and legislation currently in force within the framework of the European Union (EU), and to review the epidemiology of gambling in Spain, the self-help groups and professional treatments available, and their potential effectiveness.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic computerized search was performed in three databases (EMBASE, PubMed and PsychINFO, including articles and chapters) and the reference lists from previous reviews to obtain some of the most relevant studies published up to now on the topic of pathologic gambling in Spain.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Similar to other EU countries, Spain has a high prevalence of pathologic gambling, focused on specific culturally bounded types of gambling. Expenditure in online gaming has risen significantly in the last few years, prompting the Spanish government to draft new legislation to regulate gaming.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The gaming industry is expected to be one of the fastest growing sectors in Spain in the coming years owing to the rise of new technologies and the development of online gaming.
authors.affiliation: Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, Barcelona, Spain; Clinical Science Department, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Fisiopatologia Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn), Instituto Salud Carlos III, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Murcia
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fernández-Aranda
authors.forename: Roser
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Granero
authors.forename: Jose Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Menchón
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D005062:European Union; D005715:Gambling / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000266:history / Q000628:therapy; D049668:History, 15th Century; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D049691:History, Medieval; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D015995:Prevalence; D011998:Recreation; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Behavioral addictions; Spain; pathologic gambling; policy; prevalence; treatment