“As regards gambling disorder, Campania has the highest number of patients followed by public services. This is a particularly important fact. The Campania model is the one we can activate in taking care of patients and developing the early detection network. We then need a training activity to assist online players. As an Observatory in this year of work we have also been interested in what the answers could be and we are developing project ideas. The toll-free number must be implemented with the national one, must operate 24 hours a day and must become a tool for training both in telephone listening and in multimedia listening on social media. Another important thing is mandatory training, which must also be done to ensure respect for minors. Then there is the self-exclusion register, which needs to be disseminated because it is not well known. We need to strengthen social communication towards vulnerable individuals and progress advertising could be useful for this.” Dr. said it. Aniello Baselicepresident of the Regional Observatory on Gambling Disorder of Campania, at the presentation of the Observatory’s activities on the occasion of No Gambling Day, a day dedicated by the Campania Region to raising awareness and awareness of the risks and damages related to the phenomenon of gambling ‘I gamble.
Biagio Zanfardino, technical expert policy officer UOD “Socio-healthcare assistance and interventions” – General Directorate for Health Protection, added: “The Region responded promptly, on this issue in particular two major programs were approved. In addition to strengthening public services, integrated activity is needed. In the regional plan we also foresee specific activities against over-indebtedness. Gambling disorder is not a pure disorder, there are often comorbidities. In recent years the Serd have therefore had to face a very complex problem. From 2016 to today, the real effects that the programs have had are represented by the number of citizens taken care of, which has increased by 600%. The need must be identified in advance. Now we’re starting to talk about gaming and Internet addiction, other topics to which we will have to give answers.”
In conclusion he intervened Vincenzo De Luca, president of the Campania Region: “Gambling addiction? Let’s talk about another piece of suffering Italian society. The feeling I have is that we have a national society in the balance. If we add to this the spread of social media and the difficulty in controlling them, we have the image of a national society that is exposed to dramatic risks. In addition to health problems, there are socialization difficulties, phenomena of proximity to organized crime, episodes of violence, especially among the younger generations. We are at a crossroads, which society do we want to build? How much social suffering are we willing to tolerate and consider compatible with a democratic European country? Today there is not the necessary political awareness of the dangers faced especially by the young generations. We feel engaged in an almost losing battle. We are called to do our duty, but the challenge is difficult. We need to start thinking about the funds available. The national ones are not many, but at least they represent something. We must make a particular effort in relation to managers, 136 billion euros move in the gaming world, we are talking about enormous interests, starting with those of the State, which as you know taxes gaming and needs it to raise cash. Even in the territories, the interests moving around the sector are enormous. We must have a reasonable vision, since we cannot erase the phenomenon overnight, we must govern it and bring it back within acceptable terms from the point of view of public interest and health. The contribution of managers can be invaluable in this, because having terminals in the territories that help us identify the serious pathological subject, that help us to exclude minors at least from physical places, is already something important to prevent the problem from becoming unmanageable. We need the commitment of the municipalities and the local social plans, even if the latter are often late”.
“We have created an assistance center in Campania, I believe that by June we will double the number of beds, where we welcome people addicted to gambling, drugs and alcohol. This centre, it must be said, carries out extraordinary recovery work and represents an important response for extreme cases – the President of the Region further highlighted -. Now we have to carry out an appropriate information campaign, let’s study it with the support of experts. I think it could be important, because the topic still remains very unclear. The problem, it is fair to reiterate, is dramatic. Mechanisms are being created which in the course of online gaming lead to addiction phenomena, there are kids who make payments and who are totally out of control. To have an additional monitoring element, parents must also be informed. Everyone must be aware that we are facing a big problem, which risks becoming dramatic.”
: “The contribution of managers can be invaluable”){kind=link}