Gambling is the riskiest addiction and Malta needs to regulate the industry before it is too late, according to the spokesman for a renowned rehabilitation clinic in Scotland that is hoping to set up a link with the island.
Rupert Wolfe-Murray and Manuela Boghian visited Malta in December as European representatives for Castle Craig Hospital, Britain’s leading clinic of addiction disorders.
Castle Craig is a residential rehabilitation hospital established in 1988 that treats alcohol and drug addiction sufferers.
Its treatment expertise includes therapy for gambling addiction, stress and burnout, sexual compulsivity and eating disorders.
Mr Wolfe-Murray and Ms Boghian go around the EU looking for partners interested in addiction treatment.
They visited Malta on an information exchange mission as the clinic wants to set up its representation on the island and raise awareness. Now that one of the clinic’s therapists has resettled in Malta, the team plans to set up a website in Maltese about Castle Craig’s services.
Mr Wolfe-Murray said interest in Malta grew following the “quick expansion of the gambling industry”.
Admitting they were not familiar with the fine details of the industry in Malta, Mr Wolfe-Murray insisted the main message was that it represented a huge risk.
“I want to warn the government and the Maltese people that gambling represents a massive risk from two perspectives: it’s a very addictive practice and it’s a magnet for money laundering.”
In Europe there was a general lack of awareness about the risks of gambling, and as an addiction it was certainly not compared to alcoholism and drugs, he said. Ms Boghian described gambling as an “unseen addiction” because it did not leave physical signs on abusers.
“From the economic perspective there are several arguments in favour of gambling, but I’m not sure people are aware of the risks,” Mr Wolfe-Murray said, noting he had not been aware until he got involved.
“I realised that gambling is the most risky and dangerous addiction of them all.”
Gambling addicts need large amounts of money, and when it is not possible to borrow from family and friends anymore, some start stealing. Others bankrupt families and businesses.
It’s a very addictive practice and it’s a magnet for money laundering
Research in the US showed that one fifth of gambling addicts killed themselves, while at the same time the suicide rate among alcoholics was around nine per cent, he added.
“Another problem with addiction in general is that the cost burden on society is much bigger than people think.
“As a result of addictions, in Britain tens of billions of pounds are forked out not just for health services, but also for unemployment and housing benefits and for police and fire brigade services, following accidents.
“However people look at all these as separate issues: the cost of health care, social welfare and order. They are seen as separate symptoms, and people don’t look for the main cause.”
Mr Wolfe-Murray noted that gambling created a lot of jobs in the short term, but the negative side effects were much more powerful in the long term.
“I don’t want to tell Malta what to do, but I want to warn it of the huge risks.
“Gambling is a slippery slope to all kinds of addiction problems.”
He said that in Eastern Europe the gambling industry was spreading like “wildfire”, mostly because of weak regulation.
“Once the industry is established it is very difficult to regulate. You need to do something now or else it will be too late,” he said, adding that Malta could take a look at the case of Hungary, where the government banned gambling machines.
Meanwhile, Holland had one of the best regulated systems by setting a limit on how much money gamblers could spend within a specific time, Ms Boghian added.