The Catalan Government (Generalitat de Catalunya) has filed appeals to the Supreme Court (sp. Tribunal Supremo (TS)) against two judgments of the High Court of Catalonia (sp. TSJC), which nullified two decrees in the field of gaming adopted by the government headed by Pasqual Maragall (former President of Catalonia).

The minister of Interior and Institutional Relations, Joan Saura, has referred to both judgments during an interpellation in Parliament by CIU Deputy Jordi Turull.

One of these sentences annulled a decree adopted by Catalan government at the end of the mandate of President Pasqual Maragall, which created the Binjocs, an electronic bingo promoted by the Department of Interior, then in the hands of Montserrat Tura.

The other annulling decree of the same time issued by the government Maragall by allowing the sale of the Government Lottery via the Internet or mobile phones.

Saura has remarked that sentences refer simply to „a matter of form“ and that no „challenge“ their content. Instead, the deputy CiU (political nationalist party) has opined that the judgments are „devastating“ judicial and politically, and has replicated to the minister that „there is not place to the appeal due to „a matter of forms.“

Moreover, Saura has said that Barcelona will host in september an international conference on responsible gaming and high schools of Catalonia will dedicate a credit of the subject „Education for the Citizenship“ to speak about dangers of irresponsible gambling.

Also clarified that in 2007 the activities related to the game generated revenues of 5,000 million euros in Catalonia, of which only 2.98% are lotteries of the Generalitat, and stressed that since he is Conseller it had no grown arcades or gaming machines. (EFE)