Quarantine has closed all lounges and casinos, thus leaving gambling addicted people with hardly any options to feed their habits.
Shauna Altrogge, who is the director of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Saskatchewan Division’ gambling awareness program (GAP), said that there is “strong evidence suggesting that due to COVID-19, and all bricks and mortar gambling being shut down (VLT's, slots, casinos, bingo halls, etc.), people are seeking out online gambling for a variety of reasons.”
She added that online gambling could be done responsibly if people are simply accessing it as a form of recreation and doing it reasonably and within the balance of other activities.
“However, given the current situation we find ourselves in with the pandemic, and people being holed up at home, they might be bored, isolated, lonely, feeling stress or anxiety. Gambling to escape negative feelings or viewing it as an easy way to make money, due to financial worries (due to job loss, lay-offs, etc.), could be problematic. So, this is an area of concern, and could shift those casino players over to online play or introduce new gamblers to online gambling opportunities,” said Altrogge.
There is no government-operated online gambling websites in Saskatchewan, which means if people want to gamble, they have to do so outside of our province. In Canada that is made available in Ontario, Quebec and B.C., as well as in some of the U.S. states, most countries of the European Union, some Caribbean nations and other places in the world.
“Interestingly, a recent report suggested that internet use is up 68 per cent by Canadians since the pandemic, and it would be reasonable to assume some of that increase could be related to online gambling,” said Altrogge.
There are a number of risks that come with gambling online that people need to be aware of, she said, including its accessibility as it operates 24/7, and solitude since there might not be anyone to watch over a person gambling like casino staff or others. Besides, a player can be intoxicated, while gambling at home.
Furthermore, online gambling is riskier in terms of site legitimacy and fairness in pay-outs. It also decreases the perception of the value of cash, which is changed over to credits. It may result in credit card security issues. On top of that, people gambling online easily lose track of time and money spent.
Altrogge suggested a few tips for safe online gambling.
“Only spend what you can afford to lose. Keep track of the amount of time that you play, decide on a time limit and stick to it. Keep track of your spending while playing. Remember that the numbers on the screen are real money. Avoid chasing your losses. If you’re a parent who gambles online, keep your password safe and consider using software to block access to gambling sites from minors,” said Altrogge.
“Look for sites with options where you can set your own spend and session limits. If you are having a problem, request to be self-excluded from the site. There is also software that blocks access to all online gambling sites. See www.gamblock.com for more details.”
The Problem Gambling Help Line at 1-800-306-6789 is a useful resource for anyone in Saskatchewan needing help related to gambling.
