Stop gambling from because of the youth
The "DAB Family Affairs Committee" met with the "Ping Wo Fund Advisory Committee" on the 26th and stated that it has been concerned about the harmful effects of gambling on young people and requested that measures to prevent gambling should be strengthened to curb the rejuvenation of gambling.
The DAB Family Affairs Committee stated that since 2008, the DAB has conducted a survey on football betting. This is the seventh time it has conducted relevant surveys this year. The results of the survey were announced during this year's European Cup of Nations. Among the 2,849 respondents, 18.9% said they had gambled on football matches. Among them, nearly 40% of teenagers under the age of 21 had participated in football betting for the first time, and nearly 20% were under 18 years of age. Among the respondents who gambled on football matches, 20% said that their first time betting on football matches was through an external bookmaker. It is worth noting that 15% of respondents intend to bet on the European Cup, and more than 30% of them bet more than $10,000. The situation is cause for concern.
According to data from the Jockey Club for the year 2020-2021 (as of May 31 this year), the total betting volume of football betting has reached 130.6 billion, and the total betting volume increased by 41% year-on-year, a record high, reflecting the enthusiasm of football gambling. During this year’s European Cup of Nations, the Ping Wo Fund launched the "Watching Football No Gambling Promotion Plan" to organize public education activities and publicity projects. However, the DAB Family Affairs Committee received reports from parents and citizens that the European Cup was not held during the European Cup. Seeing to strengthen the promotion of anti-soccer gambling or anti-gambling messages, it raises doubts that the promotion plan has insufficient publicity and failed to achieve the publicity effect of "watch football gambling and not football gambling".
In addition, according to the information provided by the Civil Affairs Bureau, in the past three years (that is, from 2018 to 2020), the number of applications for the Ping Wo Fund Funding Scheme was 34, 29, and 18. The plan was not effective. The DAB Family Affairs Committee stated that it recommended that the Ping Wo Fund Advisory Committee must conduct a review and strengthen public publicity. In fact, the Ping Wo Fund has been established for 18 years and aims to fund measures to prevent and alleviate gambling-related problems. Public education and prevention of gambling problems are the important work of the Association. However, according to the DAB Family Affairs Committee in 2018 The results of the survey found that more than 80% of citizens have not heard of the Ping Wo Fund and the Ping Wo Fund’s gambling hotline, reflecting that the Ping Wo Fund Advisory Committee is not well-known and not widely recognized by the public.
The DAB Family Affairs Committee stated that in the past five years, the number of newly opened accounts under the age of 21 of the Jockey Club and the number of betting users in the user account has reached about 8,000 each year. This shows that the participation of young people in gambling has increased. In order to curb the rejuvenation of gambling, the following recommendations are made:
The first is to increase efforts to promote public education on the prevention of gambling, and raise the public's awareness of the harms and penalties of indulging in gambling and illegal gambling, especially young people. At the same time, the promotion of online platforms should be strengthened, such as adding anti-gambling promotion to sports videos, Jockey Club webpages, youTube and other platforms, increasing education and promotion of preventing illegal online gambling among young people, and it is recommended to strengthen appeals to pathological gamblers and their families Call the gambling hotline for help.
The second is to allocate more resources, increase the number of counseling and treatment centers for gambling, provide counseling and treatment services for pathological gamblers and their families, and cooperate with gambling organizations to provide more support services, such as for pathological gamblers whose gambling addiction is prone to relapse Problem to prevent pathological gamblers from continuing to bet. According to data from the Ping Wo Fund, although the 4 counseling and treatment centers have reduced their demand for hotlines, counseling and treatment services during the epidemic period, there are still thousands of requests for help each year, which are reflected in the provision of sick gamblers and their families. Support services are very important.
The third is to strengthen publicity and promotion of the "Ping Wo Fund Funding Program" and "Ping Wo Fund School Activity Funding Program", and encourage more non-governmental organizations and schools to organize publicity and education activities to prevent gambling.
The fourth is to allocate more resources to regional organizations in the 18 districts, such as the District Youth Activity Committee, the District Fight Crime Association, and family churches, to organize gambling prevention publicity and education activities to further expand the promotion of gambling prevention.
[TW]
民建聯：加強推動預防措施 遏止賭博年輕化
「民建聯家庭事務委員會」26日約見「平和基金諮詢委員會」表示，一直關注賭博對青少年帶來的禍害，要求加強推動預防賭博措施，遏止賭博年輕化。
民建聯家庭事務委員會表示，民建聯自2008年開始進行賭波調查，今年已是第7次進行相關調查，並於今屆歐洲國家盃期間公布調查結果。在2849名受訪者當中，有18.9%表示曾賭過波，其中接近四成未滿21歲的青少年已經首次參與賭波，而近兩成更未滿18歲。有賭波的受訪者中，兩成表示第一次賭波是經外圍莊家。值得留意的是，打算在歐國盃投註的受訪者佔一成半，當中逾三成投註金額超過$10000以上，情況令人關注。
根據馬會2020-2021年度(截止今年5月31日)的數據顯示，足球博彩的總投註額已高達1306億，而總投註額按年增長41%，創歷年新高，反映足球賭風熾熱。平和基金在今屆歐洲國家盃舉行期間推出「睇波不賭波推廣計劃」，舉辦公眾教育活動及宣傳項目，但民建聯家庭事務委員會接獲有家長及市民反映，歐國盃舉行期間未見加強宣傳反賭波或防賭的訊息，令人質疑有關推廣計劃宣傳力度不足，未能達致「睇波不賭波」的宣傳效果。
此外，根據民政局提供的資料，過去3年（即2018至2020年），「平和基金資助計劃」的申請宗數為34、29及18，申請數目未見踴躍，且有下降趨勢，反映資助計劃成效不彰。民建聯家庭事務委員會表示，建議平和基金諮詢委員會必須作出檢討及加強公眾宣傳。事實上，平和基金成立至今18年，旨在資助預防及緩減與賭博相關問題的措施，其中公眾教育及預防賭博問題是該會的重要工作，但根據民建聯家庭事務委員會於2018賭波調查的結果發現，超過八成市民未有聽聞平和基金及平和基金戒賭熱線，反映平和基金諮詢委員會知名度不足，未被廣泛市民認知。
民建聯家庭事務委員會表示，過去5年，馬會21歲以下的新開戶並有使用戶口投註的人數每年約有8000人，顯示青少年參與賭博增加，為遏止賭博年輕化，提出以下建議：
一是加大力度宣傳預防賭博的公眾教育，提升公眾對沉迷賭博及非法賭博的禍害和刑罰的認知，特別是青少年。同時，應加強在網上平台的宣傳力度，如在體育視頻、馬會網頁、youTube等平台加入防賭宣傳，增加預防青少年非法網上賭博的教育宣傳，並建議加強呼籲病態賭徒及其家人致電戒賭熱線求助。
二是增撥資源，增加戒賭輔導及治療中心的數目，為病態賭徒及其家人提供輔導和治療服務，並配合戒賭機構提供更多支援服務，如針對病態賭徒賭癮容易復發的問題，防止病態賭徒繼續投註。根據平和基金的資料顯示，近年4間輔導和治療中心雖然因疫情期間查詢熱線、接受輔導及治療服務的需求減少，但每年仍可見有數千個求助數目，反映為病態賭徒及其家人提供支援服務十分重要。
三是加強宣傳推廣「平和基金資助計劃」和「平和基金學校活動資助計劃」，鼓勵更多非政府機構和學校舉辦預防賭博的宣傳及教育活動。
四是增撥資源予十八區的地區團體，如地區青年活動委員會、地區滅罪會、家教會等，舉辦預防賭博的宣傳及教育活動，以進一步擴闊推動防賭的宣傳層面。
Comments
Post a Comment