LISTEN: Gambling foundation alarmed at underage betting
It’s not just adults placing bets on gambling sites anymore; kids as young as 10 are getting in on the action, too, according to the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation.
The foundation says sometimes the parents of the children are unknowingly helping them do it.
The foundation visited schools across KwaZulu-Natal this week to raise awareness about the rise in underage gambling.
Spokesperson Bongiwe Ngobese says many children use their parents’ ID numbers to access betting platforms.
Often, parents think it’s harmless.
" We find that some of them are engaging with their children there and because of the lack of information or understanding that for them innocently, they think, 'Oh gosh, my child has won R100'.
"Some of them are even saying, 'We're gambling to help out at home'. But I think the danger of it is that the parents are observing this, and the kids are observing this from their parents. So, we really trying to step in, so that they know of the dangers that,” says Ngobese.
She says underage gambling has enormous negative effects on children.
" That's affecting the development of the child's brain when they engage in these risky behaviours, meaning they grow up to be very impulsive, young adults or young children. The other one is the stealing, because you need the funds to fund your gambling addiction, because at first it starts off small, then it slowly, slowly grows.
"You get your pocket money, but then that doesn't become enough. So you start stealing, whether it's on school premises or even back at home. Kids are affected emotionally. You might be depressed, or you might be an anxious child. So these are some of the consequences that they face."
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