Editorial

After having drafted policies on alcohol and drugs, Family and Social Solidarity Minister Dolores Cristina is now turning her attention to the issue of gambling. The new policy would empower the national agency Sedqa to further enhance its services that address gambling-related problems.

Malta is not short of gambling opportunities, both legal and illegal. On a legally-accepted basis, apart from the lotto, Super 5, scratch cards and slot machines, there exists a bingo subculture that feeds the coffers of parishes and political parties as well as any other legitimate fund-raising activity.

Like other bad habits, gambling has a negative impact on society. Unfortunately, the majority of the Maltese have an obsession with gambling and provide fertile ground for exploitation. This is confirmed by Mgr Victor Grech who says that one of the major concerns of Caritas Malta is gambling dependency in all its forms.

This is not surprising. Although gambling can be a harmless indulgence for some, it does have a corrosive influence, especially on the poorest and less educated section of the population. These are the ones that spend the most, both relatively and absolutely, on lottery tickets. Any basic service provider will tell you that business shrivels when the prize of the Super Five Lottery hits six figures as people forego even basic necessities.

It is a vicious circle. Those who least can afford it are the ones who get hooked most easily. Those who feel there's no way to improve their meager financial status, or escape their predicament through their own efforts, are the ones who are most inclined to resort to gambling.

The gambling industry has cast its net wide. Entrepreneurs enthusiastically tap into this seductive market. Now, online gambling is a new, fast growing and lucrative industry. Malta also boasts a number of casinos and the demand for them indicates they must be thriving. They are definitely not centres of virtue and the losses incurred in a casino are usually more dramatic and in a class of their own.

One should also not overlook the widespread illegal gambling where betting is rife and widespread even on condemned activities such as dog fights. Despite this prevalent and blatant illegality, few, if any, arraignments are reported.

Competitive high profile sports events, horse racing and any contest of note, basically anything that moves, provides abundant possibilities to trap people in the grip of betting.

This should be of major concern. People crippled by gambling debts do not only ruin themselves and their family. They promote an environment of usury and petty crime as they are easy prey for loan sharks who thrive on such victims. It is a dangerous cycle.

When one analyses the evil effects of gambling, one would think the government and all the people in authority would make a concentrated effort to keep this phenomenon in check. Just trying to cope with victims of gambling is an exercise in futility and doomed to failure.

The main thrust of the government should be an assault on the gambling culture. It goes without saying that illegal gambling of any sort and at any level should be stamped out. Offenders should be dealt with clearly and severely so as to send an unequivocal message to one and all.

Meanwhile, any public measures that regulate and restrict legal gambling activity should be actively pursued. With gambling there are few winners but many losers. Society can ill afford this luxury without long-term and far-reaching harm to itself.