Experts warn of lack of prevention and research into sports betting phenomenon

The problems associated with online sports betting require more attention to prevention and research so that more can be learned about gamblers, says gambling specialist Pedro Hubert.

According to the psychologist who heads the Gamer Support Institute, the problem has multiple faces and affects people from all walks of life, and the “illusion of control” affects those involved in the phenomenon itself.

“For highly competitive athletes who have developed an addiction, they are used to playing football from a young age, they know a lot about football, they have the illusion of control. At a certain point, they want to bet more and more. , the results are not always obvious, and then they become more vulnerable to poaching because they need the money,” he explains in an interview with Lusa.

This is the recent case of Daniel Esteves, a player without a club, suspended for a year by the Disciplinary Board (CD) of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) after he bet on his own team, then Marinhense, to win in 2021. 22.

There have been a number of similar cases reported abroad in the past year, some of which have made headlines, such as Englishman Ivan Toney of Brentford in the Premier League or midfielders Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Fagioli of Newcastle and Juventus respectively .

Estevez was sentenced to 12 months in prison, including five in therapy, after recording 663 bets on official games in Portugal between July 2021 and January 2022, including two games for his own team in which he played.

As evidenced by the Disciplinary Board’s decision, he was borrowing money from teammates and had a difficult relationship with the team, and his addiction began to affect his performance on the field.

The case follows in Portugal the case of arbitrator André Baltasar, who admitted to betting addiction in April 2023 and then sought self-exclusion from authorized platforms.

SRIJ data for the third quarter of 2023, the most recent known, shows 205.2 thousand new registrations for the period, up 7.8% on the previous quarter, with an increase in self-registrations by 8.3%. -with exception, up to 196.6 thousand people.

Of this, 38% came from online betting, gaming activities generated €215.3 million in gross revenue, up 36% on the same quarter last year, with a special tax on online gambling collecting €64.8 million. plus 28.7 million compared to the same period last year. last year.

As for new registrations, more than 80% of them were under 45 years old, with almost a third being people aged 18 to 24 years.

Pedro Hubert warns of the high level of new registrations among the “very young population”, in addition to the value of self-exclusion, “the three Luz stadiums are full”. “No one asks for self-exclusion unless they have a gambling problem,” he recalls.

“The statistics in Portugal don’t lie: thousands and thousands of young people are starting to play. Many of the young people we serve at the age of 18 or 19 began playing with their older brother’s citizenship card, sometimes with the connivance of their parents,” he reinforces.

“Lots and lots of advertising,” he argues, needs to be regulated, starting with its ban during sporting events, emphasizing the need for increased financial resources for government agencies, both for prevention and treatment.

On the other hand, “a lot of research is missing.” “In Portugal we don’t know who is playing the games. As for self-excluded people, SRIJ does not say who they are. We don’t know whether they are younger or older, male or female, how they play,” he says.

To improve the situation or combat it more effectively, “it is necessary to provide public services with resources” and make support lines more visible on gaming platforms, as well as “Gamers Anonymous” and other projects.