Recognised as a disease
The World Health Organisation has declared that gambling addiction is a disease because the activity can spark an insatiable desire for reward, said Thanakorn Komkrit, secretary of the Stop Gambling Foundation.
“Gambling addicts repeat their actions because the activity impacts their brain function,” he said, likening gambling disorders to shopping addiction.
Anticipation of rewards from the betting habit causes adrenaline to flow through the body, he added.
Thanakorn noted that even high-profile footballers had succumbed to betting addiction, citing the struggles of England football legends Peter Shilton, Paul Merson, Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney.
“Shilton and Merson have revealed how their gambling habits replaced the excitement they felt while playing football,” he said.
He stressed that urgent solutions were required for gambling addiction in Thailand as the disease was impacting younger generations’ quality of life and even the Thai sports industry itself. The key was finding alternative ways for people to enjoy sports competitions in a creative manner, he said.
Thanakorn also pointed to restrictions imposed by other countries, including Britain’s ban on professional sportspeople sharing insights that could encourage people to gamble on results.
He cited the inspirational remark made by former England goalkeeper Shilton after he recovered from a gambling addiction: “Addiction is giving up everything for one thing, recovery is giving up one thing for everything.”