Podcast Summary: Todo Concostrina – "Acontece que no es poco | En España no se juega"

Host: Nieves Concostrina
Date: September 29, 2022
Channel: SER Podcast

Overview of the Episode

This episode dives into the peculiar Spanish relationship with gambling, tracing back to the reign of King Carlos III and the paradoxical way in which he both banned most games of chance and simultaneously launched the beloved Spanish lottery. With her trademark wit and sharp historical anecdotes, Nieves Concostrina examines how attempts at moral and economic control often led to unexpected cultural outcomes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Carlos III: Revolutionary and Trickster King

• Carlos III as a Forerunner: While the UK recently gained a Charles III, Spain had its own Carlos III centuries ago – known as "el guay, el español, el de toda la vida" (01:24).
• Inventing the Spanish Lottery: Carlos III is credited as the "impulsor de la lotería" (01:00), both prohibiting other gambling forms and legalizing state lottery.

Quoting the Royal Decree:

“Prohíbo que las personas estantes... jueguen, tengan o permitan en sus casas los juegos banca o faraón, baceta, carteta... ni otros cualesquiera de naipes... Dicho todo esto, en lenguaje fino, prohibido jugar a las cartas en todas las casas de España. Y al que juegue lo crujo más o menos.”
– Nieves (01:30)

• The King's Contradiction: In the same decree banning games, Carlos III allows one— the state lottery:

  "En el mismo decreto donde Carlos III crea la lotería está prohibiendo a los españoles que jueguen a las cartas. ¿Tienen o no tienen arte?"
  – Nieves (02:18)

2. Motivations: Moral, Social, and Fiscal

• Moral Cloaking: The ban and the lottery are wrapped in a veneer of Enlightenment thought and “objetivos píos” (pious aims).
• Raising State Funds: The lottery was engineered to ensure funds went to the crown, not to private players—supporting hospitals, hospices, and public works (05:00).

Notable Quote

“Las ganancias se destinarán a hospitales, hospicios y otras obras pías y públicas en que se consumen anualmente muchos caudales de mi real erario. Toma ya.”
– Nieves quoting Carlos III (05:23)

3. Church and Gambling

• Mixed Church Response: Early 18th-century Popes condemned lotteries, even threatening excommunication; until a later Pope saw their fiscal advantage, installed a lottery, and reversed the ban.

  "En cuanto vio que la pasta venía bien, jugar a partir de ahí dejó de ser pecado."
  – Nieves (06:50)

• Double Standards: The Church always frowned on popular games—unless benefiting financially.

Tomás de Aquino and Eutrapelia

• Moderation in Play: Medieval theologian Tomás de Aquino advocated for "eutrapelia"—moderation in amusements (08:09).

  “Eutrapelia es la mesura en la práctica de las diversiones.”
  – Nieves (08:28)

4. Persistence of Gambling Culture

• Despite repeated bans (from both Carlos III and the Bourbon dynasty), Spaniards continued to play cards and buy lottery tickets (03:58, 09:45).
• Bans included not just cards, but all "juegos de envite, suerte y azar" (betting, chance, and luck), even on gatherings in private homes (10:12).

Quote on Enforcement

"No es que prohibiera jugar en lugares públicos, es que no te podía juntar con tres amigos en casa para echar un mus. Lo prohibía todo."
– Nieves (10:16)

• Different Classes, Different Punishments: Nobles and plebeians alike risked five years of forced service—nobles in the military, commoners in arsenals (11:12).

5. The Long Game: Roman Legacy and Irrepressible Custom

• Unstoppable Human Urge: "El hombre lleva jugando desde que se juntaron cuatro en un corrillo. Yo creo que lo primero que se oyó en Atapuerca fue ‘mus’." (12:27)
• Roman Roots: Spaniards inherit a deeply embedded gaming culture from the Romans, especially games of dice ("alea"), tying linguistic roots directly to concepts of chance.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Carlos III es uno de los reyes que le acogió llorona con el juego..."
  – Nieves on the king’s preoccupation with gambling (02:40)

• "El rey no podía acabar con el juego por decreto..."
  – Nieves, on human nature and the futility of bans (12:27)

• On the triumph of the lottery:

  "El triunfo de la lotería es absolutamente incontestable y el objetivo de contribuir al mantenimiento del Estado, pues también. Ya ves, el 34% de lo que nos gastamos en lotería lo ingresa el tesoro público."
  – Nieves (12:11)

• On Church attitudes:

  "La secta tiene mucho que decir, a no ser que trinque una parte de la pasta."
  – Nieves (06:24)

• Linguistic Gem about Roman dice:

  "En Roma lo llamaban alea, que significa juego de azar. De álea viene aleatorio y aleatorio significa al azar. ¿Qué dijo César al cruzar el Rubicón...? El dado está tirado, la suerte está echada..."
  – Nieves (12:54)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Carlos III’s decree and lottery origin: 01:24–03:41
• Prohibited games and rationale: 04:00–06:17
• The Church’s shifting stance: 06:17–08:06
• Concept of "eutrapelia": 08:09–08:28
• Lotería’s modern success and legal decrees: 09:17–10:16
• Punishments and persistent gambling culture: 10:12–12:11
• Roman roots and dice: 12:41–13:21

Tone and Style

Nieves blends rigorous historical detail with breezy, ironic humor. Her language is direct, colloquial, and slightly irreverent, making history lively and relatable. She is consistently skeptical of authority, quick to point out hypocrisies—whether royal or ecclesiastical—and fond of memorable, punchy lines.

Summary Takeaway

Even in an age of royal decrees and ecclesiastical bans, the urge to play—and the creativity to circumvent authority—has persisted. Carlos III’s attempt to channel public vice into public revenue via the lottery was both pragmatic and cunning. The Spanish lottery survives as a national institution, but, as Nieves wryly observes, so does the deeply rooted culture of risk, chance, and play.

End quote:
"El hombre lleva jugando desde que se juntaron cuatro en un corrillo."
– Nieves Concostrina (12:27)