Gamblers starting at younger age

SINGAPORE — A recent survey on problem gambling revealed that gamblers are starting at a younger age. But experts Channel NewsAsia spoke with said these youths are not seeking help until they are in their 20s following multiple relapses.

To nip this problem in the bud, they said parents need to be taught on how to help their children. Special attention should also be paid to social online games that could lead to gambling addiction.

At the Addictions Recovery Centre in MacPherson, participants meet every Tuesday night to learn ways of dealing with their addiction. Mostly former gamblers, they share stories of heavy losses and loan shark debts as well as success stories.

24-year-old Shaun is one of them. He started with illegal betting websites at 19 while he was studying in a polytechnic.

He said: “In the first week, I won S$2,000 and second week, another S$2,000-S$3,000. In one month, I could win about S$5,000-S$6,000 easily. When I won S$2,000-S$3,000, the limit was higher and I increased per bet to even S$300. The next one month, I lost my winnings and in subsequent weeks, I kept losing. In less than one year, I lost about S$10,000.”

Shaun turned to his parents for help to clear his debts, but relapsed twice - the last was when he started working. He said: “It was the darkest part of my life... Because the amount was huge, I borrowed from licensed money lenders, loan sharks and banks just to keep my addiction going on.” The latest gambling participation survey of some 3,000 residents in February found that 17 per cent became regular gamblers before turning 18 - up from 5 per cent in 2011. But they don’t seek help early as parents are usually on hand to help.

Pastor Billy Lee said that parents do not realise that when they help the children to pay their debts, they are not kicking the addiction.

“You are not getting the proper help for your children. So eventually, when they leave school, they go into the army or the workplace and have more money in their hands, definitely the addiction will kick in again and they will go back to gambling,” said Pastor Lee, who runs gamblers’ recovery centre Blessed Grace Social Services.

Pastor Lee said authorities like the National Council on Problem Gambling can do more to educate parents on seeking help early. He said schools can also address this issue by organising talks and inviting former gamblers to share their stories.

But as authorities reach out to the youths, one expert pointed out another area of concern.

The Resilienz Clinic’s addiction specialist Dr Thomas Lee said: “There are online games that resemble gambling. Although there may not be any real money involved but virtual currency or some rewards, they actually resemble a game of chance.” These games could develop into a gambling addiction, he said. CHANNEL NEWSASIA