From a little flutter to out of control

File picture: Bobby Yip/Reuters

File picture: Bobby Yip/Reuters

Published Feb 6, 2016

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Johannesburg - Half of all South Africans gamble at some point in their lives, and about 5 percent of them are addicts or have a gambling problem.

The National Responsible Gambling Programme has a database of 17 000 confirmed addicts they say they are helping to stay clear from casinos.

This figure doesn’t reflect the thousands of gambling addicts who are not registered with the organisation.

Last year, the Casino Association of South Africa ploughed R16.7 million into the programme.

Its members generated a reported R15.2 billion last year.

The National Responsible Gambling Programme's treatment director, Dr Adele Pretorius, says a study commissioned by the SA Responsible Gambling Foundation in 2013 found 80 percent of addicts were not gambling or were doing so responsibly six weeks after treatment ended.

A longer-term study is under way as six weeks is not enough time to assess whether there had been an improvement, Pretorius says.

“We are busy with an evidence-based outcome programme where we follow up gamblers through a call-back system.

“We are following them for two years to see how they are doing - have they relapsed, are they abstaining or are they gambling responsibly?”

Pretorius says some of the money the project receives from the association of casinos is used for its inpatient programme.

“We take them to that facility where they get the care and attention they need and they stay there for about four weeks to get better. Those services are costly.

“We also have an outpatient programme where we utilise our network of psychologists and social workers around the country, referring addicts and their family members.

“This is all at no cost to them.”

Pretorius adds that because gamblers end up losing most of their money, they need debt counsellors to help them with a repayment plan.

Debt counsellors assess them - and although a consultation costs R1 000, no payment is required from the addict.

Pretorius says the casinos' contribution also pays for awareness programmes that include television and newspaper adverts.

“These are all very costly. We do it from time to time because it is so expensive.

“We do brochures for our network of professionals to use in their consulting rooms.

“We are also providing training for staff at casinos on how to identify a gambler, what signs to look for, how to approach them and what help they can offer.”

The consequences of gambling are severe, Pretorius says.

The worst-case scenario for any compulsive gambler is losing their job, home and families.

“They stop going to work so they lose that income, they lie to their families and start borrowing money to feed their habit.

“Eventually those family members get tired, then they find they are all alone.

“Some of our clients can tell you they have lost R50m in 20 years. Gambling comes with a lot of hardship.”

The casino association's chief executive, Themba Ngobese, says pathological gamblers account for less than 1 percent of people who gamble. This is lower than the international norm.

“All association members actively promote responsible gambling practices,” Ngobese says.

“Our members make it clear that gambling is strictly an entertainment and leisure activity and it is the consumer’s informed choice to participate in it.”

This week, it was 14 months since recovering gambler Michael* last walked into a casino. He says that after years of gambling and reckless spending, he is finally reclaiming his life.

Michael says it took an eviction notice and summons for payments for all his possessions to realise it was time to turn over a new leaf.

“I cringe each time I think how much money I wasted. It was lots of money, just like that. It baffles me how I did that.

“It is a horrible and embarrassing thing and I hope that some day I can forgive myself for what I put my family through. You can never fully recover until you do that. I live with the guilt,” an emotional Michael adds.

The father of two from Randburg, north of Joburg, says although he is elated at having reached this milestone, he is not satisfied with his progress. He believes he has a greater purpose in life.

“I help other gamblers now. A lot of people want to stop, but they can’t - they struggle. I am a compulsive gambler, I understand that, and I also understand I have a duty to my family and children. I have to come right.”

Michael is a senior executive at one of the prominent companies in Joburg. He started gambling as a teenager, helping his dad bet on the horses.

He recalls how his family would spend weekends at the casino in Sun City and how his parents would leave him and his siblings in the games area while they gambled. Hours would pass and the only time they would reconnect was at dinner time or when it was time to go home.

“After hours had passed, we would wait for them at the entrance and we would go home about 3am, depressed, cold and broke.

“That is how we lived our lives. My dad always provided for us - we had clothes and food and we were never short of anything, but gambling was what we did with our free time.”

Michael says he sometimes gambled through three or four nights straight, burning up R300 000 a night and going home empty-handed.

“I was getting greedy, the compulsion had me. I wanted more. Each time I won I spent the money on gambling all over again.

“I remember I had won R550 000 and it was sitting in my boot. I must have walked three or five times to and from my car to get more money so I could gamble.”

Michael says the most important factor in recovery is support. His wife stood by him and she is the one he credits for helping him get his life back on track.

Psychologists say gambling addicts have a deeper psychological problem, such as depression, anxiety and mood disorders. To cope with their mental illness, they find habits that make them “feel better about themselves”.

Matshidiso Maseko, a psychologist in Joburg, says addicted gamblers are not aware there are no short cuts in any situation and feel sorry for themselves.

“They can’t accept their situations and be content with what they have.

“They find themselves in a desperate situation and are convinced that if they have money they will have power and, with power, they can achieve anything they perceive they lack.”

Maseko says they become so caught up in the cycle that even when they win a large jackpot they struggle to come out of the addiction and make the right choices.

“They are looking for a quick fix, thinking they will get big money, but when they do they squander it.

“The other problem is that they have issues of low self-esteem.

“They think money will solve their problems, but it won’t. You have to be comfortable in your skin, with what you have and who you are.”

Maseko says the psychological implications of gambling addiction are similar to those of other addictions, such as to alcohol and drugs.

When people seek help, they need to be introspective, to find out what could have caused their insecurities.

“People are individuals. They need to be helped to understand what triggers them,” Maseko says.

“Most important, they need to know there is help and that they can get it.”

Saturday Star

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