The COVID-19 crisis faced new challenges and precedents for humanity. The impact of COVID-19 are significant and recognizable.
The extent of collateral damage caused by the pandemic has only begun to be understood. We are just beginning to take into account and assess the consequences of the pandemic. One of them is the severe crisis in people’s mental health. Many people began to experience anxiety and stress, and other financial difficulties and uncertainty, as a result of the Lockdown and the post-COVID restrictions.
In these provocative times the people was going to find different forms of distraction to pass the day.
The Gambling gives the oportunity to fight the monotony, the stress and the boredоm, but in some people the effect may be reversed and they may feel unwell.
After conducted survey in UK on trends in Gambling before and after the Lockdown, there are several interesting trends. There is a significant increase in the time people spend playing – from 1.54 hours per day before the Lockdown, to 2.80 hours per day after it. For a year in UK the number of online bettors was rise by 4.23%.
A various organizations and psychologists all around the world give guidelines and advices how to keep the fun of the game. Many gaming operators have their own concept of responsible gaming, and others are actively involved in existing initiatives.
Here are some warning signs of a problem game or propensity to problem gaming:
-I want to play more and more, especially after I lose.
-It seems to me that when I start winning, it will continue forever.
-It’s hard for me to stop, even when I promise myself not to play again.
-I have financial difficulties because I spend all the money that I saved only to play.
-I borrow money and even “temporarily” steal money to play.
-I’m betting on work (in front of the computer), trying to recoup my losses or to win more.
-Every other activity, hobby, which is usually fun, beginning to become an undesirable obligation.
If you recognize any of symptoms described above in yourself, you should to think about the way you bet and to look for advice to protect yourself from gambling addiction.
Sources:
1. Gambling and Gaming in the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 Lockdown, James Close 1, Stuart Gordon Spicer , Laura Louise Nicklin, Joanne Lloyd, Ben Whalley and Helen Lloyd.
2. Gambling and the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review, Département de médecine de famille et de médecine d’urgence, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada