When, in 2009, Government decided to close down the gambling parlours which had proliferated all over the island – in Hamrun alone there were at least seven such outlets, six of them within the space of 1 kilometre – Sedqa heaved a sigh of relief. Referrals for help had increased quite dramatically over the previous 2 or 3 years, as several patrons of these parlours had become hooked and entered that cycle of financial and psycho-social problems which wrecks a number of families, and puts others under more than considerable stress.
Not surprisingly, within a relatively short time, the number of gamblers and family members seeking help began to fall, as people who had not yet developed compulsive gambling behaviour no longer had easy access to these machines and doubtlessly found other, probably less noxious, activities to divert their attention. Once the pool of players diminishes, the stream of newly-addicted individuals abates. Of course those who had already become severely hooked began to frequent casinos, or the parlours which still provided a gambling service under the guise of amusement machines, and could continue to indulge their addiction until circumstances forced them to seek help. However, during the past 2 years there were probably fewer new compulsive gamblers.
There was another class of gambler we were concerned about: those who had sought help and were desperately trying to kick the habit and turn their lives around. We had listened to too many heart-breaking stories of individuals in this situation for whom even such an apparently-innocuous activity, as walking to the nearest newsagents was fraught with temptation precisely due to the sinister omnipresence of these gambling dens. Their lure would very often be very difficult to resist, as the sight of the gambling-parlour would be enough for the machines to whirr and clink their siren-song not so much in the hapless gamblers’ ears as in their tortured minds.
And, no, it’s not the same situation with alcoholics who walk past drinking establishments which could also be sources of temptation. Those of us who work with both gamblers and drinkers have the very distinct impression that for the gambler, the ability to resist the attraction of the machines is more difficult than it is for a dry or sober alcoholic to refrain from making a bee-line for the nearest bar. Once the gambling outlets were closed, the struggle not to gamble became easier.
All this is set to change. Within a few months the country will once again be replete with gambling-machine outlets.
A few months ago the Minister of Finance published the regulatory framework within which the gambling parlours will operate. The regulations ostensibly include considerable restrictions compared to the situation obtaining before the closure of the parlours in August 2009. In fact, in our opinion, despite the inclusion of a couple of regulations which will have an impact on the amount of gambling taking place in these places, the overall impact on the negative social effects of these gambling outlets will be minimal. The reason is simple: the root cause of the malaise as a social phenomenon will not be tackled.
First the good bits: round the clock gambling will no longer be possible as was the case under the old regime (if one can speak of regime in the context of what used to take place before, that is; an unfettered lawlessness more like it). The regulations will not permit any such establishment to operate between 11.00 p.m. and 11.00 a.m.
Secondly, the regulation allowing self-barring, which is so far applicable only to casinos will be extended to the gambling-machine parlours too. If one requests self-barring from one outlet, the ban will be valid for all licensed outlets. Self-barring has proved helpful in the cases of addicted casino patrons; there is no reason why it should not be just as beneficial in this context too, provided that the authorities successfully clamp down on illegal gambling-dens, which gambling addicts in the throes of craving are quite likely to turn to.
There are other rules which are in themselves laudable – a register of gamblers is to be kept, persons under the influence of substances will not be allowed in the gambling outlets to name two – but, in Sedqa’s opinion, it is quite unlikely that these regulations will have any effect on the rate of newly-addicted gamblers, once the gambling-parlours start to operate once more. Practitioners and researchers in the field know that there is strong connection between the availability of the opportunities to gamble and the incidence of problem gambling. In the context of the gambling parlours this would mean the bigger the number of outlets, the higher the numbers of gamblers who will develop a dependency – with all the deleterious effects on the gamblers, his or her spouse and children, and social relations in general.
Possibly the Ministry may have been forecasting a drop in the number of gambling outlets because it is now imposing fees on the licensing of the establishment and on each machine, when previously none were levied. However, these tariffs will almost certainly fail to deter interest in operating gambling parlours, at least, not to the extent that those concerned about the outlets’ effects on society would like them to. There are strong economic forces at play.
Only direct political action can hope to limit the damage these outlets will inflict on the more vulnerable members of society. Are the powers that be willing to grasp the nettle and find a way of imposing a maximum number -say, five - of outlets which can be opened on the Maltese islands and let the operators compete for the licenses?
It is no use for any of us to hide behind the handy veil of ‘’education”. Problem drinking and many other facets of undesirable human behaviour have shown us that, on the population level, only strong political direction can hope to effectively bring about authentic, substantial change.
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