The Emotional Impact of Gambling – By Jibril Abdulmalik

By Jibril Abdulmalik

Gani started gambling at the age of 14. It started with betting on ram fights. His uncle saw that he was pretty ‘lucky’ and started taking him to the lottery bet shops to pick numbers. Whenever they won, they would spend the money at the local bar. He would eat different types of food he typically couldn’t afford. By the time he was 30, there was no type of gambling or Ponzi schemes he hadn’t participated in. He recently lost all his savings towards buying a new taxi cab on gambling during the World Cup.
Aisha has been gambling for nearly a year. It started as a mistake, but she won a large amount after that bet. She bought her sewing machine and other necessary things for her business using this money. The excitement stayed with her, and she continued gambling. She borrowed money to gamble on her phone and got into debt on multiple loan apps. When the debt got too much, she confessed to her sister, who helped her block her betting accounts and create a loan repayment plan. Now, she remembers the huge debts she was in whenever she’s tempted to gamble.
Chukwudi works long hours at the store and often feels overwhelmed after the day ends. He watched football to relieve stress. He started gambling whenever he felt stressed, lonely, or to check his football predictions. With time, he started gambling large amounts and stealing from his boss to gamble. He knew he was in trouble when he stole a large amount of money from work and spent it all on gambling. He lost his job and spent several months in jail after the incident.

Discussion

Many people believe gambling addiction only happens among a certain set of people. Or individuals who are not responsible. However, this is not the case. Many people are now at risk of gambling, including highly achieved professionals, very successful and highly educated folks etc. Some people may become more vulnerable when they are experiencing traumatic life events like separation, retirement, injury, or grief. It is also increasingly common among young people. Indeed, cases of students gambling with their school fees have become very frequently reported. The easy accessibility of gambling due to the Internet has increased the number of people with gambling addiction as well as the harm they experience from gambling. This is worsened by the aggressive sponsorship of popular sporting events as well as ubiquitous promotion of gambling on social media, thereby increasing gambling activity. The risks, reach and implications have never been greater for societal cohesion and emotional wellbeing.
Gambling can increase relationship breakdowns, domestic violence, financial distress, theft, fraud and neglect of children. Gambling addiction can have psychological effects like persistent stress and anxiety about money, debts or hiding gambling. It can also result in depression, feelings of guilt, shame, or hopelessness after financial losses. People with gambling addiction are also at increased risk of substance misuse.
A study revealed that those with gambling disorders were 15 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population. This has also been corroborated by data from Asido Foundation’s Helpline, indicating that a significant proportion of those with suicidal thoughts/attempts (nearly 40%) were because of gambling losses and debts. This shows gambling is becoming a critical issue in our community.

Common Signs of Gambling Addiction

●Spending lots of time and/or money gambling.
●Feeling unable to stop despite wanting to.
●Chasing losses by gambling more after losing money.
●Lying to family or friends about gambling.
●Borrowing money or selling possessions to fund gambling.
●Neglecting work, school or relationships because of gambling.
●Feeling restless or irritable when trying to cut back.
Practical Strategies to Reduce Gambling.
●Identify your triggers.
●Whenever you want to gamble, delay the urges for a few minutes and distract yourself.
●Limit your access to money by paying bills automatically or keeping money in a safe lock account.
●Block all gambling websites and apps and unsubscribe from all gambling-related marketing emails.
●Avoid friends or acquaintances related to gambling.
●Manage your stress through exercise, relaxation or mindfulness.
●Build a support network by informing a close friend or family member of your challenge.
●Set clear goals and work towards them.
●Seek professional help if gambling heavily.
If gambling is causing serious financial hardship, damaging relationships, or leading to thoughts of self-harm or suicide, it’s important to seek professional help as soon as possible. If you’re in immediate danger of acting on those thoughts, contact emergency helplines like the Asido Foundation’s helpline.
The government needs to be more proactive, especially with protecting minors from gambling access and reducing the ubiquitous nature of the adverts. It may also be helpful to place a warning after such adverts, as a precautionary measure. This is especially for those who think it is a harmless and fun venture – as typically portrayed by the adverts. It is NOT fun, but a potentially life-destroying addiction. We should be wary.