The number of people in this country seeking help has increased after they were forced to bet on different sports as the World Cup matches are going on in America, Canada and Mexico.
The organization that warns about the dangers of gambling in this country, the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation, says that it is receiving a lot of calls from people who are looking for help after gambling. Those who hit are disgusted and hungry after being eaten.
The head of this organization, Mrs. Sibongile Simelane-Quntana, said that on the day they received calls from those who wanted to be freed from gambling after their accounts were closed. This problem, he said, has also increased among young people in institutions of higher education, some of whom have shown signs of wanting to kill themselves after being eaten.
“A day we receive about 35,000 calls from those seeking help after being robbed. Even during the Africa Cup of Nations, the number of calls we received from those who have been robbed, seeking help because their accounts have been blocked, increased.
Speaking to Newsroom Africa yesterday, he said that they are not stopping people from gambling but they must do this in the right way.
“We don’t mean people who don’t gamble, but those who do this in a way that will enable them to stop when they see enough is enough. Some don’t even know what to do when they’ve lost a lot of money they were betting on.”
He pointed out that the previous day they had a scene that brought together different agencies that looked into gambling.
“Sadag mentioned that there are young people who even want to kill themselves after being robbed. Most of them are studying in higher education institutions and they are afraid of shame if they have taken the money for books as well as to pay. The parents don’t know and some students borrow money from their colleagues, not knowing how they will get it back and then they are afraid of the shame of being organized and they think of killing themselves.”
He said that there is a need to strengthen laws, especially regarding advertising, which is one of the ways to lure young people into gambling. The gambling sector is said to have grown to R1.5 trillion, in the financial year 2025 and is very profitable.