Recent research by the Australian Gambling Research Centre (AGRC) reveals that there is rising incidence of youths who have become addicted to gambling and this has raised concerns from the relevant policymakers and health practitioners. The study conducted among 5,000 18-30 years-olds also revealed that the problem gambling has risen by the double within the last five years and the main cause attributed to this is through the betting sites.
The conclusion drawn by the study is as follows; The findings of this study reveal that young Australians are in a very dark place when it comes to gambling. The study also showed that 15% of participants had problem gambling, compared to 7% in a survey carried out in 2019. Moreover, the findings of the research showed that 37 percent of the young adults were involved in gambling at least once a week and that the most frequent forms of gambling were sports betting and online casino games.
Dr. Sarah Thompson, the lead researcher at the AGRC highlighted the fact that technology had worsened gambling problems among the youths. “The use of mobile devices particularly the spread of smart phones and frequent advertising by online betting companies have exacerbated the problem of gambling among the youths,” she said. Some of the respondents complained that they were constantly exposed to gambling adverts on social media and during the broadcast of sporting events.
Young Australians was another area of focus in the study, where the costs of problem gambling were also discussed. A problem gambler was defined as a person who spends more than AU$1,000 on gambling annually while a high risk problem gambler was characterized as an individual who borrows money to gamble, incurs debts as a result of gambling, loses more than AU$10,000 a year and sometimes accumulates debts of more than AU$50,000. These financial losses have a ripple effect on the lives of the affected persons and their families and the society in general.
Several mental health professionals have raised concerns over the outcome of the study in light of the fact that problem gambling has been linked with other mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, substance use disorders among others. Dr. Michael Chen, a clinical psychologist in addiction was very clear in stating that if no serious intervention is made, there will be a public health crisis. He said: “We are witnessing a generation of young Australians with their mental and financial well-being at risk because of gambling. ” Some social implications that this trend could have on the society in the long-run include; It is clear that the end-result of this trend could be very costly to society in the long run.
This research has therefore prompt people to ask for more stringent laws to be imposed on gambling especially the online betting. The consumer advocacy groups are campaigning for the ban in the use of credit cards in gambling, compulsory loss limits, and a more rigorous method of checking the age of users. Also, the call for the total ban on gambling commercials during sports events is gaining traction and such has been put into practice in Italy and Belgium.
But the proposals have been opposed by the gambling industry claiming that more regulation could lead to people moving to unregulated operators based in other countries, which could be more hazardous. They have rather encouraged the use of education and voluntary self-exclusion programs as solutions to issue of problem gambling.
The result of the study has also generated discussion on the part of the sports organization in the promotion of gambling. Betting companies sponsor many of Australia’s major sporting codes and this has been criticized as popularizing betting among the young sporting fans. Some sports administrators have argued for these partnerships mainly for the sustainability of their organisations especially at the grassroots level.
As a result of the above study, the federal government has put into motion the process of organizing a national gambling summit on youth problem gambling, which will be a cross-sectional meeting of academic scholars, stakeholders, the policy-makers, and other stakeholders in an attempt to deliberate on the best way forward in the fight against problem gambling among youths. Some of the most important areas of emphasis will be the expansion of early intervention services, the expansion of treatment services, and the potential role of regulation to mitigate the negative effects of online gambling companies.
As this problem unfolds in Australia, the rest of the world watches and waits. The experience of the country may help other nations to avoid mistakes with the emergence of internet gambling. It was claimed that the actions of Australia in relation to this problem can become a reference point for regulating new digital gambling around the world.
The following months will give the direction that Australia will take in the fight against the youth gambling addiction. As more and more negative effects of the availability of the unrestricted access to the betting sites are being documented, the political leaders are in for a showdown. The consequences of these debate will shape the future of gambling in Australia as well as determine the welfare of the youths in this country.
