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Gambling dice, cards and chips are seen on the keyboard in this illustration picture, June 5, 2020.
The South African Responsible Gambling Foundation (SARGF) has expressed concern about the growing number of young people who are addicted to gambling.
The foundation is among many roleplayers attending the Gaming Regulators Africa Forum’s 16th annual conference in Sun City outside Rustenburg in the North West.
Sibongile Simelane-Quntana is a director of the foundation.
“The trend that we are noticing, it is affecting mostly the youth. People who are under the age of 18. It affects people that are also unemployed and people that are depending on social relief grants. That Sassa money should be spent on themselves and on their households, not on gambling.”
Simelane-Quntana further says some of those who are addicted to gambling are coming forward to get assistance.
“We got psycho education therapy where you actually see a psychologist and a clinical social worker. You are actually receiving counseling. We provide eight sessions per individual, but you know, if the individual is so much affected, the treatment … professionals can refer or motivate for more sessions and then we have National Gambling Responsible Group where once you finished your sessions you can then attend those groups, which we do on a weekly basis, every weekend, on a Saturday. We also have in-patient where we rehabilitate people in hospital,” she says.
