Social scientist Professor Ashwin Desai believes the country is sitting on a crisis with the prevalence of internet sport gambling.
“Online sport gambling is a major problem especially, among the youth.
We understand the passion of youth supporting their favourite soccer or cricket team, however where it becomes a concern is when youth start wanting to predict the outcomes of matches and this is a big problem, as having smartphones means it is easily accessible to place bets.”
Desai said that horse racing gambling online is also a concern.
“This is something that we are not addressing enough. Horse race betting takes place seven days a week and with global time zones, people can bet 24 hours a day on horse races.
This is a worrying factor as youth can spend their entire day placing bets on horse races; it’s a simple process to bet.”
Desai said it is no longer the case where gambling addiction is associated with people only going to casinos.
“In the past, we looked at casinos as the place where old people or working people go and get addicted to gambling. It’s not the case anymore. Online gambling addiction is coming into our own living rooms and bedrooms and it is as simple as flushing a toilet to place a bet.”
Desai said that it is critical to raise the alarm bells on online betting.
“I believe we need legislation and regulation to curb online gambling among the youth.
“We also need people who have faced gambling addiction and lost their life savings to come forward and tell their stories as this will help educate the youth about the dangers of gambling addiction.”
The Mercury