INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The NHS has opened its first clinic for young people addicted to gaming and gambling, a year after a Gambling Commission report found that
55,000 11-to-16-year-olds in the UK were problem gamblers
For some the path to gambling begins with playing online games, as the TheIndianSubcontinent's Becky Milligan heard from the father of one
young man now getting help for his addiction."Not in a million years, not in a million years did I think that gaming could lead to
compulsive gambling." Steve is sitting on a bench in a churchyard
He's agreed to talk to me about his son's gambling addiction
He's nervous, he hasn't done an interview before and I can feel his anxiety
His son, now in his early 20s, is in recovery and doing well, "but we take one day at a time" he says
"We've had a terrible three years
We wouldn't want anyone to go through what we have gone through
When we first discovered our son had the compulsive gambling disorder we didn't know what to do." Steve tells me how one night his son lost
his weekly wage in a matter of minutes
Distraught, he appealed to his parents for help
They did what many other parents would do: They paid off his debt, hoping that would be end of it
I tell Steve that I've spoken to other parents whose children have developed gambling disorders, and they also paid off the debts at first,
not realising the extent of their children's addiction
"We thought this was just a little glitch, this is what kids do," one father told me
And that's what Steve thought at first.He and his wife had known for some time that their son enjoyed having the odd bet
But lots of their friends enjoyed a flutter and it didn't seem to be out of the ordinary
A year later, though, Steve was shocked to find out his son was gambling with other people's money, and losing large amounts
That was his downfall," he tells me
Now Steve realised it was a very serious problem
He and his wife didn't know what to do
They began to isolate themselves, avoid going out or seeing friends
They were worried what people would say
We didn't know which way to turn
We spent months finding the answers and doing our own research," Steve says
Last year, he and his wife went to a GamAnon meeting for families
Earlier this year his son also began to get help
Find out moreBecky Milligan's reports on teenage gamblers can be heard on the PM programme this week, from Tuesday to Thursday, after
17:00 on TheIndianSubcontinent Radio 4You can also listen now on TheIndianSubcontinent Sounds:Steve has had a few months to do a great deal
of research and he now believes his son's addiction was sparked when he was 12 or 13 and was obsessed with playing online games,
particularly football games
He would play for hours and hours in his bedroom, Steve tells me, and all his mates were into to it as well
Steve didn't really understand what the games were about, let alone the new technology the games used
And anyway, at least his son was occupied, he says."We all want an easy life, a quiet life
If he was playing upstairs I would think, 'It's not doing any harm is it?'" Steve now thinks that the football games promoted habits,
including spending hours online, that "developed into gambling".Crucially, Steve's son was encouraged to pay for extra products, such as
"ultimate team packs".The identities of the players in these packs would only be revealed once he had paid, which Steve says introduced his
son to the "thrill of gambling", the game of chance and risk - including the chance of acquiring a star player who would make him
unbeatable.Steve thinks the difference between online gaming and gambling is very subtle, and that those children who excessively game
online, like his son, are at risk of becoming compulsive gamblers later in life
It doesn't matter, he says, whether the game involves winning or losing real money
Dr Henrietta Bowden-Jones, a psychiatrist at the new NHS treatment centre, says no link between gaming-related activities "that may be toxic
for young people" and gambling has yet been established
It's currently a "big controversial conversation", she says."I believe so little is known in this country about both these behavioural
addictions in children, that we need to hear it on the ground, we need to understand what these people are doing then work with policy
makers, politicians and public health professionals to change the environment they live in," she told the TheIndianSubcontinent.Where to get
helpGamFamGam-AnonBigDeal (for children and young people)Gamblers AnonymousGamCareIt has been a very hard few years for Steve and his family
He recently decided to leave his teaching job and set up a charity, GamFam, to help other parents who might be in a similar position
However complicated it is, Steve says that parents need to know what their children are doing online, they need to become the experts in
"Do research, put the barriers in place, take control of the device, set up family time
Screen [the child's activity] so that you are in control of what's going on
And most importantly do not have any of your credit cards, debit cards linked to the account," he says."There are horror stories where
children are spending excessive amounts of money on in-game purchases
Many of these games promote themselves as free games but the loot boxes in the games [are not]."Like the "ultimate team packs" that Steve's
son used to buy, loot boxes may contain virtual items such as weapons or shields that help a player win the game - and gamers don't know
what's in them until they have bought them
MPs on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee recently recommended that the sale of loot boxes should be regulated as gambling, and
that selling them to children should be banned entirely.In a statement to the TheIndianSubcontinent, the association for UK interactive
entertainment, Ukie, echoed Steve's call for parents to monitor their children's behaviour online."Alongside robust age-ratings for
games, all major consoles and mobile devices offer smart and simple parental controls
Above all, we recommend that parents and carers engage directly with players, talk to them about the games they are playing and even join
in," the statement said.Wes Himes, chief executive of the Remote Gambling Association, said it was very difficult for children to get
through the verification process to gamble online
He added that the industry was not allowed to advertise near schools, or to target under-25s with its advertising.Steve Ginnis of Ipsos
Mori, however, told the TheIndianSubcontinent that focus groups conducted by his company showed that children and young people found aspects
of existing gambling advertisements appealing - "in terms of promotional offers and use of celebrities and presenting it as fun or
skilful".'Part of the game'Stewart Kenny, the Paddy Power founder who resigned in 2016 over what he saw as the failure to tackle problem
gambling, says advertising is "normalising" gambling for children, and that it has become "nearly part of the game" when watching
football."That is dangerous, because it is promoted by well-known people, it's a constant barrage of advertising they see it before,
His son's last bet was in February
They are not ashamed any more about what happened, but in order to protect his son, Steve doesn't want to give his full name.He hopes his
new charity will be able to visit schools and talk to parents.Steve says the problem of children's gambling addiction has to be addressed
If nothing is done, he believes we will have an "epidemic on our hands of catastrophic proportions".At present, he says, the only help these
youngsters have got is their parents."For me, if I don't do this now, then I will never do it, I feel it is a calling, I need to do, I need
to be putting the message out there and support the parents
I wouldn't wish what we have been through on my worst enemy."You may also be interested in:Media playback is unsupported on your deviceMedia
captionThe gambling son reunited with his mum
