Manojlovic: Gambling addicts are getting younger and have serious gambling problems

Psychotherapist Jelena Manojlovic from Belgrade's SOS Center stated that the users of the center's gambling addiction treatment and rehabilitation programs are getting younger and younger, pointing out that the biggest problem is the large number of illegal betting shops and the growing abuse of online betting.

Manojlovic noted that when she began working with gambling addicts 18 years ago, the average age of those seeking treatment was between 35 and 40, whereas today they are all younger than 21.

"We have noticed year after year, regardless of whether it is a World Cup year or not, that the users of our services are getting younger. At the moment, our rehabilitation program includes young people aged 18 to 21 who are already heavily in debt to loan sharks and facing serious gambling problems," Manojlovic told Kosovo Online.

According to her, during major sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup, betting activity increases, including among people who do not regularly place bets.

"It has somehow become customary that betting goes hand in hand with watching matches, and that is when the number of betting shop users increases," Manojlovic explained.

Speaking about gambling regulations, she said that Serbia has an Association of Games of Chance Operators that regulates betting shop operations, but that the problem lies in the large number of illegal betting shops and the growing abuse of online betting.

"This is now the biggest problem and the area where control is most difficult, because anyone who is underage can take an ID card from a parent, grandmother, grandfather, or aunt and create an account with any betting operator. So even when efforts are made to mitigate the consequences or regulate the situation, they cannot fully do so because children are resourceful. In addition, the illegal market is very large and popular," Manojlovic said.

According to her, Serbian law prohibits persons under the age of 18 from entering betting shops, and betting shops must be located at least 200 meters away from schools.

"They comply with these rules to a certain extent. However, if you know an employee at a betting shop, children find ways to get in. Or, for example, they wait outside for an older person to come out and ask them to place a bet on their behalf. But I repeat, that is a smaller problem compared with online betting, which is now available everywhere. We no longer need to be physically present in betting shops, we can log in from our armchair," Manojlovic said.

The problem is, she added, much greater because everything happens faster online and gamblers are dealing with virtual money, meaning they have no physical contact with cash.

"There is also betting by phone through illegal betting operators. It is a very widespread network that is quite difficult to track. We cannot fully grasp the extent to which it has poisoned our society," Manojlovic warned.

According to her, gambling is now treated as an addiction disorder, and parents increasingly recognize the need for treatment, bringing their children to rehabilitation programs and providing support.

"Awareness of gambling as a problem is growing. When I started, betting and gambling were not treated as an addiction disorder, but rather as a form of misbehavior, whim, or recklessness. Today people recognize that there is a problem requiring professional treatment, and both parents and families eventually understand that. Unfortunately, not immediately, but after a second or third debt appears. Then they realize there is a problem and bring their children in for treatment," Manojlovic said.