Rombet introduces a new article from the series Responsible Gaming
The gambling industry in Romania is focusing its efforts to encourage a socially responsible attitude among both operators and players who are, ultimately, the most important pillar of the domain. Rombet, the association which currently represents the interests of its many national and international members, talks now more than ever about educating and protecting the players and, especially, the young people.
„One of the priority directions that the future Public Interest Foundation will have to develop will be that of educating young people about the risks of gambling activity. When young people have access to an extremely wide range of gambling, both in traditional games (land based), as well as the online, activities designated to educate them on the dangers become imperative”- believes Mr. Dan Iliovici, senior vice president of Rombet.
As it has recently been highlighted by the President of the National Office for Gaming, Mrs. Odeta Nestor, young people step easier over the boundary between entertainment to harmful behavior in what gambling is concerned. They are 5 times more likely to develop pathological behavior on gambling, says a recent study, released in the UK. And the subject is of interest not only for the British. Also in France, no later than last year, two important bodies conducted a survey after which they released worrying figures: 11% of juveniles who came in contact with gambling have had or still have gambling problems. That compared to 1.5 – 5% of the adults, as shown by statistics worldwide. In Australia the situation is not any better, where there are children playing since the age of 10, while those up to 15 years old, most of them say they have accessed some form of gambling.
Preferred forms and most affordable gambling among young people are, according to the same French experts mentioned above, lottery tickets, which have the advantage of being very accessible, and sports betting, which attract even more because it involves football players whom they admire or their favorite teams. Whether they start playing due to boredom or curiosity, young players need guidance to understand that gambling activities are a form of entertainment which involves risks and under no circumstances should be regarded as a source of income.
Although a sensitive issue, experts also urge industry representatives, authorities and families altogether not to ignore the problem and to tackle it as early a possible, educating the young people about the responsibility of gambling, similar to the briefings made to tackle the consumption of alcohol or driving behavior.
„The abundance of advertisements is one factor that can contribute significantly to increasing the” mirage „represented by excessive gambling. Operators start, however, to become increasingly more responsible in their strategies to promote their business, moderation being the key term that should define any promotional message or marketing effort, „ commented Rombet president, Mr. Dan Alexandru Ghiță.
Rombet Association was present lately amid gambling operators in the country by organizing seminars on specific accounting regulations in gambling, during which it approached every time, the issue of the socially responsible gaming. Following these meetings, it has emerged the idea that the prohibition of gambling can not solve the problems of exceeding the fun of the game limit, but through continuous education and correct information of young people about the risks associated with this activity.
„ONJN at this time palces a special emphasis on educating young people for the purposes of the above. ROMBET unreservedly supports the position of the Office, as expressed constantly by the association representatives in various articles, conferences, seminars, in which we take part actively. And our strategy is to continue such initiatives and to emphasize the importance and their usefulness to the industry, „concluded Dan Alexandru Ghiță, President of Rombet.
