GAMBLERS are lining up to seek help from counsellors at gambling rehabilitation centres after losing heavily and raking up unmanageable debts as a result of placing bets on the ongoing Qatar World Cup.

The counsellors told The Malaysian Insight that the problem was just beginning and would only get worse when the tournament reached the knockout stage in the coming days.

The World Cup finals kicked off on November 20 and all the group stage matches are shown live on TV. The knockout phase – the last 16 spots – will run from December 3 to 18.

“This is just the beginning,” said Peter Lee from Gambler Rehab Center.

“There definitely will be more gambling addicts coming forward,” he said.

His centre had been receiving on average two calls a week from debt-ridden punters.

While the majority of those who had sought help were aged 30 and above, he said he had also helped primary, secondary, and university students.

There were women too.

Lee said age was not an issue when it came to gambling.

“Although some are really young, they know their football and how to place bets.”

He said the young punters would normally use the pocket money their parents gave them to place bets.

When they got into a losing streak, they started borrowing money to continue gambling in the belief that they would win the next bet, Lee said.

He also claimed that borrowing money to bet on World Cup matches was rife in campuses and described the situation as “worrying”.

Lee said he wondered if campus authorities were unaware of the problem or were just turning a blind eye to it.

Gamblers Rehab Centre Malaysia director-general Bryant Leong said that those who had come to them seeking help for their gambling addiction had incurred debts going up to hundreds of thousands of ringgit.

Leong said that unlike previous World Cups, the punters sought help even earlier.

He said unexpected results involving big name teams and pre-tournament favourites like Argentina losing 1-2 to Saudi Arabia in their opening Group C match and perennial favourites Germany losing 1-2 to Japan were the reasons why many of these punters had “bled money” so early.

Punters getting younger 

NGA Gambling Rehab Ministry chief Caleb Choo said his centre was bracing to deal with more cases now that the tournament had reached the knockout quarter-finals stage.

“The group stage matches had just ended. The ‘Cup fever’ will only start to rise when the knockout stage gets underway.

“This is the time the punters start betting heavily hoping to recoup their losses,” Choo said.

“In most cases they get deeper and deeper into debt until they find themselves in a situation where they have no way to repay their debts.”

Choo agreed the punters were getting younger and younger.

He said people in their late teens to their 30s had sought his centre’s help.

He said it was “really hard” to stop an impulsive gambling habit because using a smartphone made it so easy.

“The internet is full of online gambling sites and these punters can gamble in the privacy of their home and bedroom.

“Most of the time, even their families are unaware of what they are doing. It’s only when they run into problems that they open up to their families.”

Counselling sessions are conducted face-to-face.

“We will first focus on dealing with their gambling addiction rather than settling their debts,” Leong of Gamblers Rehab Centre Malaysia said.

“If the addiction is not dealt with, then the problem will just go on and on.

“The only thing in the mind of those seeking help from us is how to settle their debts. They were not thinking about what caused them to be in debt.

“So the first thing we do is to let them know how their problem started.”

Leong said the internet, smartphones, and computers made it easier to gamble.

“In the old days gamblers needed to go physically to a casino, betting shop, or the racecourse to gamble.

“Now they can do that on their phone or computer quietly without anyone knowing.”

Gambling has become easier

Gambler Rehab Center Malaysia president Wawa Lim said that since online gambling became available, it had made gambling so much easier for many people.

“They can gamble anytime.”

“Online gambling brings convenience, not only in terms of the number of sites they can choose from but also the ease of placing bets.”

That was the reason why gamblers were getting younger, Lim said.

She said she knew of a case where the gambler who had sought help was only 14 years old.

“When I was in Vietnam a few days ago, our guide told us of a gambling addict in his 20s who committed suicide by jumping into the river because of the debts he had amassed.

“So, I would like to take this opportunity to remind people that even making small bets for a start brings big risk.

“In fact they should never start gambling.” – December 3, 2022.