GAMBLING: The Dangers
Depending on your age and life experience, the topic of gambling may conjure up pictures of fruit machines or ‘one arm bandits’, or of people stepping into a high street bookmaker to wager on the horses or dogs. Gambling, like every other vice, has moved on. And like every vice, its dangers have grown more subtle whilst no less destructive.
At CViE we plan to write a series of blog posts raising awareness of the dangers of gambling. They will focus on the dangers, the forms, and the Christian view of gambling, then finally on helping people to overcome an unhealthy attachment to gambling.
What are the dangers of gambling? It must be clearly understood from the outset: gambling is an industry and – like every industry – it is an industry focussed on profit. The tools that it employs, therefore, are directed towards one end: to increase those profits.
Stories are powerful ways to communicate truth, and there are so many instances of the havoc and destruction caused by addiction to gambling that it is both sobering and salutary. From them we can learn much of the addictive nature of gambling and its effects on the lives of individuals. It ought to make people think twice about venturing down such a path, so sure “I can handle it”.
Studies suggest almost half of the population have gambled in the past month (one-fifth of those being online). It is therefore not surprising that 96% of online gamblers gamble from home. This gives serious cause for concern. The danger that was once “out there”, is now potentially present in every home. With lockdown, this accessibility of online gambling has meant that there was no time in the day when people could not play. It is therefore both alarming and yet not surprising to learn that the total gross gambling yield (GGY) of the Great Britain gambling industry is over £14 billion annually.
In addition, the Gambling Commission publishes data on young people and gambling, suggesting that at a minimum 1 in 7 under 18s have spent their own money on gambling in the last week, with boys twice as likely as girls. Children are exposed to gambling advertising on television or social media or even by their favorite team’s kit. More young people gamble than drink alcohol or smoke. In what can almost be seen as a form of grooming, almost one-third of young people have been tempted to gamble in streamed features of online computer games and apps. One such temptation are loot boxes which are in-game purchases, where some form of attractive container can award players with upgrade and items to advance in the game. Loot boxes are considered part of the compulsion loop of videogame design which contribute towards addictive and gambling behaviours. This widespread and early exposure offers up serious warning signs for the future of these young people who will grow into adulthood with an ingrained appetite for the ‘thrill’ of chance.
This raises the often-asked question: do parents know what their children are up to on their computer and/or smart phone when they are out of sight?
In January 2022 YGAM, a charity that educates and safeguards vulnerable people against gaming and gambling-related harms, published the results of a survey showing that more than one in three university students who gamble are using borrowed money to do so. In addition, 80% of the 2,000 students surveyed have gambled and 41% admitted that gambling had a negative impact on their performance at university.
It does not require a perfect foresight to identity the trajectory of these young lives. People have gambled their house away unbeknown to those sharing that home. A common pattern is starting ‘innocently’ with the national lottery then progressing to accessible yet easily concealed gambling games online. It is not uncommon for gambling companies to give regular users special status, and despite those suffering significant losses, being extended offers that are difficult to resist. As ground is lost, and bank accounts emptied, people will take out loans from banks and borrow from friends with lies to try to re-coup losses in an inevitable spiral downward of further losses. The cruel irony is that early success can easily serve to deepen the extent of the addiction.
Gambling costs money and sabotages relationships, and has led people into depression and even suicide as they feel increasingly helpless and ashamed. A famous footballer recently said about his addiction that he wouldn’t wish it on anybody. It is reported that gambling addiction can increase the likelihood of suicide by 15 times the general population. The stories of overwhelming debt and family pain and personal regret and shame are seemingly endless.
Normally one can look to the Government to put into place safeguards against inherently dangerous activities. The industry regulator the Gambling Commission has tacitly admitted the dangerously addictive nature of online betting by putting measures in place, and banning certain types of games. There would be no need for any law at all if it wasn’t a problem, but it is. In 2005 The Christian Institute published ‘Gambling with our future’, a booklet warning of the dangers of making gambling more accessible (available here). Promises of control over the gambling industry have proved fleeting as the Gambling Commission has been found by most to fall far short in offering protection from the predations of the betting companies. The result is that Great Britain is understood be one of the most liberal markets for such companies in the world.
The situation therefore is that gambling today is an area of human activity that is deceptive and dangerous, with potentially life-altering impacts, yet having little meaningful oversight. Parents, Christian and otherwise, need to be aware of the risks of present and future addiction and the unhealthy practices that can result in serious long-term personal, social and financial harm.
Next time we will consider the different forms of gambling, so that parents can know what to look out for.
Further sources of information
