Adrian Scarfe of GAMCARE
Adrian
Scarfe of GAMCARE
began his talk by asking three questions of the audience to
show the widespread nature of occasional gambling. The number of people in the
audience who had never gambled at all shocked him. Nevertheless, he maintained
his fundamental point that most people have gambled at some time or other in
their lives – even if it is only in buying a lottery ticket.
Gambling is not totally evil. But neither is gambling totally harmless. But the reality is that for many people gambling is attractive.
In spite of much research, we do not know what makes a gambling addict because like any form of addiction it can happen to anyone. People become addicts for a number of reasons:
Because they are unhappy or stressed. It is a form of escapism.
It produces a “high” – a real buzz.
A feeling of power when you win.
People may have very low self-esteem. It is a fantasy.
What is undeniable is that you cannot win at gambling! The odds are against you.
Gambling is not a major problem in this country. It affects 0.8 of the population: about 300-350 thousand people.
The biggest problems are addicts of the following forms of gambling (in order of seriousness):
Betting in betting shops.
Fixed roulette screens in betting shops.
Internet gambling.
Casinos.
One third of the people now being seen by GAMCARE are coming from the BME communities.
Adrian Scarfe was quite clear in saying that, “you cannot ban gambling and you should not seek to ban gambling – nor even necessarily to ban the casino. What is more important is that we reach out in love and help the minority of people for whom gambling will be a problem. We need to be ready to cope with the side effects of this growing social activity – like it or not”.
Adrian Scarfe
Clinical Practice Manager (Responsible for the clinical practice of the care services division within GamCare).
GamCare takes a non-judgemental approach on gambling. We do not wish to restrict the choices or opportunities for anyone to operate or engage in gambling opportunities that are available legally and operated responsibly.
GamCare, a registered charity, has become the leading authority on the provision of information, advice and practical help in addressing the social impact of gambling.
We strive to develop strategies that will:
>Improve the understanding of the social impact of gambling
>Promote a responsible approach to gambling
>Address the needs of those adversely affected by a gambling dependency
