Government 'not helping gambling problem'

An estimated five per cent of Maltese had a gambling problem, and recent government initiatives will not help, according to Gamblers' Anonymous (GA).

Gambling in Malta was more severe per capita than the rest of Europe, and little do people realise that relentless gaming was more than just a vice, a spokesman for GA told The Sunday Times.

Government is to release draft legislation for on-line gaming as the popularity of lotteries such as Super 5 reaches new heights and more people resort to slot-machines.

But even though government is doing its utmost to regularise the gaming sector, GA believes that there is no difference between legal and illegal gambling.

Pointing out that GA does not take stands on government legislation, the spokesman said that this did not mean that the organisation was happy with the situation.

Gambling was once a pastime that had us conjuring up visions of cigar-toting, pot-bellied mobsters wearing gold chains. Now it is associated with everyone, including ordinary workers. And the situation is no different in Malta.

Although the number of gamblers will never be known, GA believes the problem was rather worrying as evidenced by the hundreds of individuals that have resorted to GA since it was set up 15 years ago.

A survey commissioned by Sedqa two years ago showed that 89 per cent of people aged between 18 and 23 admitted to have engaged in gambling activities.

There have been reports of parents or wives arriving home to find their kitchen appliances or computers missing as their addicted family members try to get money to fuel their habit.

"We've had people who have lost cash in up to six figures in betting and lotteries, resorting to us," the GA spokesman said.

Compulsive gambling often has a more serious knock-on effect on families than drug or alcohol abuse and was even more insidious than prostitution.

A survey carried out in the US had shown that half of all inmates in penitentiaries had a gambling problem, and had ended up in prison because they committed a crime to finance their habit.

The concerning issue is that the authorities are clearly giving the impression that the only problem is with illegal gambling, forgetting that lotteries such as Super Five and the lotto were equally addictive.

Government nets between Lm12 million and Lm15 million a year from lotteries.

GA estimates that more than half of all gambling in Malta is illegal, with frequent practices going on in localities like Valletta, Birkirkara, Qormi and Zejtun.

Illegally-organised gambling rackets are big business in Malta and were not only rife in sporting circles. For example, betting on the sex of the next person turning around the street corner is one betting practice renowned in Valletta. Others are known to sell Super 5 tickets promising money if you guess one of the numbers drawn.