Online Gambling Addiction

 

In recent years, the number of cases with online gambling addiction problems has increased significantly compared to

other addictions and gambling.

The easy access to the websites intended to place bets online and the lack of information about the harmful effects that

uncontrolled use of them can have means that what begins as a simple game can become a serious problem that requires

specialized care.

The easy access to sports betting and games of chance (roulette, poker, and slot machines, mainly) through applications for

mobile phones and computers, which can be accessed 24 hours a day by placing bets for little money, leads teenagers

and young people to believe that the risk is minimal.

The anonymity that the internet gives them and the immediacy of the results are two of the reasons that encourage them to

"try their luck" in betting and in this type of game. They start playing on these websites from their own home or in groups of friends

and bet on all kinds of variables: who will score first, how many goals will each team scores, etc ... Even if they sometimes

win, the losses will always outweigh the gains and the losses will come ... It is then when they will try to recover what they lost, which will lead them to ask and sometimes steal money from family

or friends. Therefore, what used to be gambling or gambling out of curiosity, entertainment or fun has become a necessity,

an addiction for which families, educators, and social-health professionals have the responsibility to protect our young people

and educate them in a world in which the game is and will be present and transmit to them that with the game they will never win.

Addiction to online gambling, especially sports betting, is already considered a mental disorder, which mainly affects men

between 18 and 30 years old. Find out the factors that favor its appearance, and how to prevent and stop it.

What is online gambling addiction and who does it affect?

Gambling is an activity that has always accompanied the human being, as a leisure option, as a way of learning, of relating to

others, of avoiding routines ... but it is also a business that generates multimillion-dollar profits and that is now more accessible

to never. Although over time we manage to reduce its advertising and the regulations that regulate it are changed, we must

learn to live in a world with gambling without this posing a risk.

Experts have raised the alarm for the availability and social normalization of online games, especially sports betting. And they

do so due to the exponential increase in the number of cases in the last decade and, especially, due to the youth of the typical

patient, which translates into a greater severity of the disorder, and also in the more rapid development of the same: since the

young people begin to play until the disorder develops, barely one or two years pass, while in the case of offline gambling,

this process could take seven years.

It is no coincidence then that online gambling addiction has been included in the latest manual of the American Psychiatric

Association on mental disorders (DSM-5). 

Addiction to gambling or disorder gambling is a disease or disorder recognized by the World Health Organization, in which a

behavior of "problem gambling persistent and recurrent" which causes deterioration or clinically significant distress appears.

This disorder can appear with any type of game of chance (slot machines, bingo, roulette, poker, sports betting, lotteries, etc.)

People with online gambling addiction are mostly men (82%), with an average age of between 18 and 41 years in 62% of

cases, and who are hooked on sports betting (52%), to video games (25%) or online poker (12%), the three main gateways

to this addiction, according to data recorded in the research work Profile of addictions in 2019, prepared by the Addiction

Attention Network (UNAD). In the specific case of women, the prevalence of online bingo (60%) as a reason for the addiction is

striking, although overall it barely represents 6% of cases.

According to the EDADES 2019/2020 Survey on the consumption of alcohol, drugs, and other addictions from the Ministry of

Health, 6.7% of the population aged 15 to 64 had gambled with money online in the last year, compared to 3, 5% who

acknowledged having done so in the previous 2017/2018 survey. 

Online gambling addiction is a growing concern.

 

Characteristics of sports betting players

Although pathological gambling can develop with any type of game of chance (machines, bingo, roulette, poker, etc.) we have

observed that sports betting players develop some distinctive behaviors.

The act of betting (playing) is a minority compared to other activities directly related to the game: searching for sports

information, consulting results, visiting specialized websites or forums, preparing statistics, following sports events, etc. These

activities take up a large part of your time and become your main concern. Although they are great sports fans, over time they

lose interest in watching the games to focus exclusively on betting. They even develop symptoms of anxiety (excessive worry,

tension, irritability) before sports events or information.

They usually combine sports betting with other face-to-face and online games. Also combining the game with friends and the

solitaire game.

 

 The perception of risk is low:

Greater social acceptance: the increase in publicity and the use of sports references and well-known characters to promote it

makes it more widespread and “well-regarded”. Possibility of sharing the bet with close people and friends.

Greater perception of control: they trust their knowledge and the sports information provided by the media, compile statistics,

consult internet forums, etc.

The illusion of professionalism: they consider gambling as a means to earn a living.

Higher level of indebtedness:

 

Online or card gambling makes it difficult to control spending, they are less aware of the amounts they play.

New forms of financing, little known: proliferation and ease of access to microcredits.

By focusing primarily on high profits, you risk more.

 

What can we do?

Some prevention measures that we can adopt

 

Try to keep up to date on technology and games issues:  we must know, observe and supervise everything related to these

issues: what interests do you have, what websites do they visit, what applications do they use…. In short, be informed of

their interests and hobbies, so that we can speak and act if we detect risks.

Set an example from the family with proper use of the more traditional games of chance  (lotteries, coupons, etc.).

Encourage the "culture of effort" as opposed to the "culture of hitting the ball": rewarding not only good results but also

dedication, commitment to the task, time and effort invested in reaching the objectives, intermediate successes, and

transforming the failures in challenges overcoming.

Help them manage money:  understand the value of the things they enjoy, help them set priorities, save and plan for

short-medium and long-term expenses. They must know the financial products: the interests, the terms, the conditions...

so that they are not deceived with great offers of easy money.

Propose and include them in other leisure activities that "do not include screens": often the mobile or the computer is the

easiest option for boredom, in this, we must be creative and investigate their tastes: music, travel, outdoor activities,

sports, exhibitions ... and work responsibility by involving them in household chores.

Encourage a critical attitude towards consumerism and advertising:  adolescence and youth is the time when concern for

the image increases the most and, sometimes, their self-esteem may be more based on whether they have more or fewer

things (clothing, technology, picture of success, etc.). It is necessary to make them aware of the deceptions and interests

behind advertising, which is becoming more aggressive and directed especially at the young population.

Encourage personal development and maturation,  as the main protective factor and preventive measure.

 

How to act if we suspect that they may be playing risky

It is important to talk about the game. We should not be afraid or ashamed: the problem of abusive gambling can appear in any

family and occur in any of its members. The time to do so will be when we sense or detect your interest in gambling. You

don't need to be an expert: the important thing is to be open to listening to their concerns and to facilitate dialogue. If we have

doubts about whether we should talk about it, the time has probably come.

 

How do we do it?

 

1. Inform us of what they know, their degree of involvement, type of game, time, and money spent.

2. Disassemble your misconceptions objectively, without dramatizing and fostering a critical attitude.

3. Point out the negative consequences of gambling and show alternatives.

4. Not giving “the talk”: short messages, open questions, and trying to put ourselves in their place….

5. Listen and understand. To be able to act from communication and trust.

 

Make them aware that we are facing behaviors that must be stopped, or the gambling problem will increase. You may have

already suffered negative consequences, and we can rely on that to facilitate change.

If they have debts, either with people or banking entities, it is not convenient for the family to lend them money if the player is not

willing to assume their responsibility and accept the necessary help to control the game. If the family decides to help with the debt,

it must be repaid according to the conditions that are negotiated. We cannot allow him to learn that gambling has no consequences.

Once pathological gambling appears, there are many possibilities that, when abandoning one type of game, they will start

looking for “substitutes” or that they will develop the same pattern of behavior with another type of game. For this reason,

it is recommended not to play other types of games, whether with money or without money involved (video consoles,

games on the mobile device, cards, darts, board games, etc.). Helping them establish new time-use habits and a healthy

lifestyle will be a priority.

It is advisable to seek professional help. Finding a professional solution is especially useful to reinforce coping with the problem and

to draw up specific guidelines.