For some time now, a new vice has been evolving in Guyana. In country after country, newspapers, TV programmes, social media, and NGOs have repeatedly highlighted the stories of those who have fallen victim to illicit gambling. The cycle begins with initial wins, followed by losses, occasional wins, and ultimately, significant losses. The same fascination people have with casinos, ordinary bingo games, or street corner gambling boards has now come to people’s smartphones and computers.
Just like street corner gambling boards, online gambling offers the lure of instant victory, only to plunge players into a vicious cycle. Yes, with technological advancements, gambling has evolved and now comes with a new stage name: online gambling. And the casinos are not in fancy buildings but in our pockets and palms.
Vice President Bharat Jagdeo recently brought to the forefront the issue of online gambling in Guyana. In fact, online gambling has become as pervasive in our country as it is in most countries around the world. While more and more online operators are getting rich from online betting and gambling, more and more persons and families are becoming impoverished, their lives ruined. It is estimated that by 2028, more than US$700 billion will be lost annually, mostly by poor families.
This is one of the downsides of technology and innovation. The internet has become an indispensable part of everyday life. But the internet has created new social problems for society. We have become familiar with the growing problems of pornography and our children being targeted by criminal sexual predators. There is a multitude of internet scams. And there are internet betting and gambling, largely unlicensed and unregulated.
The Lancet, a prestigious British journal, established a commission to study online betting and gambling. It showed that more than 450 million people around the world regularly engage in online betting and gambling. The study also revealed that more than 80 million people have ruined their lives and the lives of their families. It is a growing threat that is destroying lives, breaking families, corrupting values, and enslaving many of our people, especially the poor.
A study done by Rutgers University in New Jersey, which examined the prevalence of online and casino gambling in New Jersey, said that gamblers were “significantly more likely” than non-gamblers to report morbid thinking, such as wishing they were dead, along with suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and non-suicidal self-injury. About 28 per cent of high-risk problem gamblers, or people with a gambling disorder, reported suicidal ideation, 20 per cent said they had attempted suicide, and 26 per cent reported engaging in non-suicidal self-injury.
Like a fire spreading in the bushes, the number of people engaged in online gambling in Guyana is growing out of control. It is a silent, yet devastating storm sweeping away the potential of our families. The Gen-Z population has become adept at using technology. The smartphone is now in the hands of almost every Gen-Z in our country. The more smartphones become available in Guyana, the more exposed the population becomes to vices such as online gambling. Operators of online gaming and gambling are taking full advantage of the easy access to smartphones. It is a boon for people who profit from others’ misery.
Concomitantly, social problems associated with problem gambling are also accumulating. One woman tells the story of how her husband lost his job because he had become addicted to online gambling using his phone. The problem did not stop there, as he began to use the family’s savings and then started to take things from the home to sell and support his gambling. They eventually sold their home. Today, they are divorced and are one of the thousands of ruined families in Guyana and among the millions around the world – ruined by online betting and gambling.
Contrary to popular belief, online betting and gambling is not just a private vice; it is not entertainment; it becomes an addiction. Easy money is the goal, but it is an elusive goal that comes in the form of misery. The beginning is a simple tap on a mobile phone; the result is often debt, dishonesty, despair, and even suicidal thoughts. There are countless stories of husbands losing their jobs, young people dropping out of school, and parents in tears, not knowing how to pay debts racked up by online bets.
As VP Bharat Jagdeo stated, every day someone is crying out for help. Clearly, the problem is growing out of control in Guyana. This is what other countries have also experienced. In the Philippines, a legislative hearing found that the growth of online betting in that country has been more than 6,000 per cent in just the last four years. Similar growth is seen in most countries around the world. In fact, online betting and gambling is now the most prevalent form of gambling in most countries.
In some European countries, online betting now accounts for more than 65 per cent of all betting. And while more and more families are ruined, operators continue to flourish. But in some instances, governments are filling treasuries with very liberal regulations, almost allowing a free-for-all environment while raking in taxes.
VP Bharat Jagdeo has issued a warning – regulations are coming. He is clearly soliciting a debate. He knows full well that he will be despised by many for targeting online betting and gambling. But he is a fearless leader. He sees a social problem that has the potential of ruining too many families and too many lives, young and old.
He sees that the country cannot afford to deal with another social vice. Already, like countries around the world, Guyana has its plate filled with social problems. Online betting and gambling are adding to a full plate. Guyanese must rally around VP Jagdeo so that we can create a barrier against this global problem.