FES Project: Spanish model for LatAm to prevent problem gambling
The FES Project has become one of the most solid models for preventing compulsive gambling and digital addictions in Spain, combining training, education, and awareness for minors, families, schools, and sports clubs. Its comprehensive approach — which addresses minors' access to gambling, the protection of self-excluded individuals, and the promotion of healthy digital habits — has proven to be highly effective and perfectly replicable in Latin America, where the rapid growth of online gambling demands preventive initiatives based on evidence, institutional coordination, and programs with real social impact.
The gambling industry in Latin America is experiencing rapid growth: more regulation, more operators, more commercial investment, and an increasingly strong presence in the daily lives of millions of people. However, this growth brings with it a challenge that no country in the region can ignore: the need to prevent minors' access, technological addictions, and compulsive gambling in a context where mobile phones, social networks, and digital immediacy dominate young people's lives.
In Spain, this challenge gave rise to one of the most robust, scalable, and effective prevention initiatives in the sector: the FES Project (Training, Education, and Awareness), promoted by the Platform for Sustainable Gambling.
What began as a local action has transformed into a comprehensive primary prevention model, with presence in schools, municipalities, associations, sports clubs, and disability organizations throughout Spain.
Today, the FES Project is probably the most comprehensive prevention program in the world regarding behavioral addictions and digital risks, with an approach that can be directly adapted to any country in Latin America.
What is the FES Project and why is it so relevant?
According to the official document of the Platform for Sustainable Gambling, FES is a solution based on three central pillars:
1. Training
Systematic training for teachers, families, social entities, and professionals responsible for the care of adolescents and vulnerable people.
The content is developed by clinical specialists in addictions and neurobehavior.
2. Education
Educational materials for adolescents, young people, and their families about:
- responsible mobile phone use,
- risks on social networks,
- video games and compulsive behaviors,
- prevention of gambling in minors,
- healthy digital habits,
- data protection and privacy.
FES does not "moralize": it educates with scientific evidence and current language.
3. Awareness
Talks, workshops, and campaigns that promote a culture of responsibility in schools, sports clubs, disability centers, and municipalities.
The programs are designed to address behavioral addictions before they appear, making it a model of true primary prevention — something critical to achieving large-scale impact.
The three programs that make FES a unique model
FES General (Minors and Families)
Prevention approach for adolescents aged 12 to 18 and their families.
It works on:
- social networks,
- video games,
- excessive mobile phone use,
- sports betting,
- technology risks,
- family limits and adult support.
FES DISability
A program adapted for people with disabilities: accessible materials, guides for labor support units, basic diagnostic tools, and resources for families and caregivers.
FES INTegrity
A specific module for sports:
- prevention of match-fixing,
- fair play,
- doping,
- irregular betting,
- sports ethics and transparency,
- use of AI to detect anomalous behaviors.
The results that support its success
The FES Project is not theoretical: its impact is measurable.
The report indicates:
- almost 5,000 downloads of educational materials,
- active programs in 9 autonomous communities,
- agreements with public and private schools and municipalities,
- partnerships with family associations, educational entities, and sports clubs such as Real Betis and Sevilla FC,
- expansion of the disability program with support from CONACEE.
Additionally, the project actively participates in:
- educational congresses,
- universities,
- municipal programs,
- scientific alliances (Juan José López-Ibor Foundation).
Why FES is an ideal model to replicate in Latin America
Latin America shares a central trait with Europe: digital penetration among minors is practically total, but prevention tools are limited or non-existent.
The FES Project stands out as an exportable model for five reasons:
1. 100% preventive approach, not reactive
Most countries intervene when the problem has already appeared.
FES acts before addiction develops.
2. Content adaptable to any cultural reality
The materials can be translated, localized, and adjusted to:
- educational realities,
- local regulations,
- socioeconomic needs,
- technological differences.
3. Capacity for rapid implementation
Schools, sports clubs, and municipalities already have structures ready to receive workshops and content.
4. Complements gambling regulation
Even in countries where online gambling is newly regulated (Brazil, Chile, Peru, Colombia), FES provides:
- prevention for minors,
- tools for operators,
- educational support,
- scientific evidence.
5. Supported by the sector and independent from the State
This allows its implementation without bureaucracy and with immediate impact.
Conclusion: a model LATAM needs now
The FES Project is a modern, scientific, and accessible tool to combat problems that are multiplying in the region:
- minors' access to gambling,
- device addiction,
- social network abuse,
- compulsive behaviors,
- risk in sports,
- and digital vulnerability.
Based on evidence, supported by the sector, and tested on a large scale in Spain, it is a program with real capacity for social impact.
Replicating the FES model in Latin America is not only recommended: it is urgent and necessary.
Tags: Proyecto FES, Responsible gaming, Platform for Sustainable Gaming