Luiz Carlos Prestes Filho: One of the justifications for the closing of casinos in Brazil in 1946 was ludopathy. Is this justification scientific? What are the symptoms of this disease, from the point of view of medicine?
Bernardo Fridman: The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes ludopathy as a disease. Often the main symptoms are perceived by people close to you, as whoever is suffering from this disorder hardly perceives certain behaviors such as:
(1) Play longer than reasonable;
(2) impairment of other activities and social interaction;
(3) problems with professional performance;
(4) decreased sleep time due to agitation;
(5) increased family conflicts;
(6) irritation when staying away from the game (abstinence sign).
Does unregulated gambling create the invisibility of game addicts?
The person who is addicted to gambling will bet even the activity is banned or released. The fact that the gaming sector is not regulated is very harmful in this sense, since the State is exempt from creating public policies to treat these people. The jogo do bicho is an illegal exchange of bets on numbers that represent animals, it is the preferred mode by the Brazilian people. It was created in 1892 by baron João Batista Viana Drummond, founder of the Rio de Janeiro Zoo (Wikipedia)
Which countries have special programs to serve these players? How do they work?
The most developed countries have this type of support. There are several types of programs, the most common being group meetings in the style of Alcoholics Anonymous, where people share their experiences in exchange for support from the group and experts. A major concern of these countries is also related to the addiction of children to electronic games.
Would it be important to invest part of the tax revenue from regulated gaming in the Unified Health System (SUS)? Will in this way contribute financially to the treatment of addicts?
Yes, this is fundamental. Gambling regulation can generate a lot of revenue to be applied in health, education, security and reduce unemployment. SUS should take advantage of this revenue to develop public policies for various addictions. If the problem exists, it must be faced. The Unified Health System (SUS) is the name of the public health system in Brazil. It was instituted by the Federal Constitution of 1988, as a way to implement the constitutional commandment of the right to health as a "right of all" and "duty of the State".
According to the WHO, the person with a pathological condition has the following symptoms: (a) need to increase risk and stakes; (b) is constantly concerned with gambling; (c) irritation and nervousness if he stops playing; (d) uses gambling to escape problems; (e) lies with family and friends to try to hide their real involvement with betting; (f) tries to control himself and stop playing, but fails; (g) gambling is a threat to relationships, job and career opportunities. Do you agree?
If you notice they are behavioral symptoms. The addicted person needs help, and that will only happen with the regulation of the activity. As you said in one of the questions, non-regulation creates an invisibility of this problem.
Is religion an element that determines whether or not a person can bet? Is that why there are more players with this type of problem in Catholic countries of Latin America and others in Europe like Spain and Italy?
I am not an expert on religion, but this question does not only concern gambling, but the weight that religion occupies today in society. And Catholicism seems to me to have distanced itself a lot from its base, unlike evangelicals, who have organized themselves politically and constitute a strong bloc that still manage to dictate conduct and norms to a good part of their faithful. I really do not know how this issue occurs in the main Catholic countries in Europe, such as Portugal, Spain and Italy.
In Brazil, with regulated gambling, is it important to create an own system on the benefits of gambling? Well, is it proven that the activity helps fight depression and socializes the elderly?
I have no doubt that a regulation of the activity would be very beneficial to the country in several economic and social aspects. About the elderly, in fact, some games help them in several aspects such as memory strengthening, for example. Regarding the fight against depression and socialization, the social space of gaming can be a lot of fun, helping the elderly to socialize. In addition, it opens up space for culture. I remember my mother, when she told me about the singers she watched in casinos in Rio de Janeiro. Much of Brazilian cultural life took place inside casinos until the mid-1940s.
Source: Luiz Carlos Prestes Filho – Executive Director of Tribuna da Imprensa Livre newspaper
