“ARALAR Project: combating the risks of gambling through technological innovation”

This project seeks to address gambling-related risks among young people by combining technology with social awareness and ethical reflection. Vocational school students have created a series of digital tools and interactive devices (such as a realistic and transparent sports betting simulator) to better understand the psychological, mathematical, and algorithmic factors that always give betting platforms the advantage. Based on surveys carried out at the school and interactions with members of the Aralar Association, students examine how the illusion of easy money, individual betting, and distorted probabilities drive risky behaviours. This experience reframes technology as a powerful tool for uncovering systems engineered to create addiction.

Using project-based learning and a critical pedagogy framework, students take ownership of their learning by designing software, building programmable devices, analysing data, and participating in prevention workshops. The project culminates in a community event and highlights how technical training, when paired with technological ethics, can foster social transformation. With media coverage, interest from other schools, and possible replication in European programmes, the project has the potential to reach far beyond the classroom.