While the new digital era fills us all with interest, excitement and entertainment, it is inevitable that the advance development of online technology would have its downfalls.
This being, gambling.
According to Global Gambling Statistics, in total, across the worldwide population around 26% of us gamble, whether that is online or in betting shops, collating to around 1.6 billion people.
This has seen an increase with the improvement of advertisements which are put onto people’s devices where companies are appealing to a wide audience by utilising this technique.
Online technology has vastly aided the gambling industry and their profits, with most users not ever having to go into a betting shop as it is very easily accessible from their mobile devices.
However, this seems to be an ever-growing issue for people with gambling problems as the industry is constantly supplying alternative ways of participating in online bets, this including ‘Klarna’, which for the past 15 years has been a payment method where you can choose to setup a 3 month repayment plan.
Klarna has been introduced to some of the online betting sites where people are now able to place bets of money that they may not even have, adding to the gambler’s existing money difficulties.
High-end betting companies such as, Betfred are currently profiting billions per year due to the mass of addictions worldwide by promoting online, with endless temptations of ‘free bets’, which attract more young people.
Students already face many debts, not with the addition of gambling and those who become involved within this industry, they are unable to pay off these extortionate debts.
Matthew Worrall, a 20-year-old student explained how he feels ‘gambling is a real issue with lads [his] age and a real unspoken thing as well, people are too scared to come out and acknowledge that they have a problem with it.’
He said gambling started for him when ‘we would bet on the weekends, just on the football and obviously this is advertised everywhere, some football stadiums are called Ladbrokes’ stadium.’
It’s sort of made normal within sport, it’s just made to be a normal issue when there is a lot of people struggling with [gambling].’
Anti-gambling campaigner, Coalition Against Gambling Ads (CAGA) fight against advertising gambling within sport and society to prevent the younger generation from getting lured into financial strain through these firms.
Anyone who may be struggling with a gambling problem should seek help, advise and more information from Gam Care who offer the support they may need.
