Researchers find gambling addiction driven by poverty
Last December, volunteers from the Thai Health Promotion Foundation gathered in front of the Bangkok Arts and Culture Center to warn of the dangers of gambling addiction. (Photo: Chanat Katanu)
Social workers argue that gambling addictions among blue-collar workers are driven by social welfare issues, not personal passions as many think. NGOs and government agencies work together to provide rehabilitation.
Pattmaporn Suksomsod, assistant professor at Phranakorn Si Ayutthaya Rajabhat University, said gambling addiction stems from workers’ wages being too low to support their families.
Most factory workers work overtime, depriving them of their free time for other recreational activities.
“Everyone has their own Facebook account. Just type in a few words and you will be presented with a list of gambling websites. There is also a group chat for hours, which takes just a few seconds, after transferring money to access the game,” she said.
Based on her research into the impact of online gambling on manufacturing workers in Ayutthaya, workers do not see online gambling as a problem. Instead, it’s their side income.
Many have limits, such as not exceeding 300 baht per day. They often think that the money they earn from gambling can contribute to their daily expenses. Still, few people keep track of how much they’ve lost.
Players are aiming for high profits in the game, but they are more likely to end up incurring large amounts of debt from loan sharks. When economic conditions deteriorate, stress tends to affect relationships, work, and health.
The most popular online gambling games among workers include slot machines, illegal lotteries, and sports betting, she said in a recent study hosted by the Center for Gambling Research and Women’s Gambling in the Daily Lives of Manufacturing Workers. activities,” he told seminar participants. She is a member of the Men Progressive Movement Foundation with the support of ThaiHealth.
glimpse of wealth
Tanit Toaditap, an assistant professor at Burapha University, said gambling workers are often the main breadwinners of families. They don’t want to spend their whole life working in a factory, but they want to save enough money to start a small business from home.
However, most workers still live a hand-to-hand lifestyle. Many people who work in industrial estates pay for pick-up trucks or motorcycles in installments because public transportation is not available in the area. Gambling offers a rare ray of hope.
“But the more you bet, the more you lose,” Tanit said.
Citing workers in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) as an example, he said gambling addicts would go to great lengths to make a profit when they lost control of their bets. You may end up losing everything you own, breaking up with your partner, and quitting your job.
Associate Professor Rae Dilok Vidyarat, head of Thai Health’s Gambling Rehabilitation Guidance Department, agreed that gambling addiction among low-income workers is a result of poverty.
“We tend to think of gambling addiction as an individual problem, but it’s really a social welfare problem that requires multi-agency efforts to solve it,” he said.
He suggested that workers should be paid a reasonable wage that meets their living needs. Once you have enough income, the stress that poverty brings will disappear. It makes no sense to bet your hard-earned money on a game you can’t win.
control gambling
Jirasak Ramrath, head of the Nippon Steel Workers’ Union, said most gambling addicts spend between 5% and 10% of their salary on gambling games. Unions are trying to persuade workers to save the same amount for their families and households instead of gambling.
He said many manufacturing employers have joined the anti-gambling movement because the results directly benefit business and union relations.
Wonjan Janim, coordinator of the Women’s and Men’s Progressive Movement Foundation, said the Thai Health-sponsored anti-gambling campaign provides counseling to workers with gambling addiction to help them quit the habit. Ta.
Wonjan said the network has trade unions in the movement. About 70% of participants now spend less money on gambling and are starting to save enough money for their families, he said.
