Latvia Launches Map of 60 Places Offering Help for Gambling Addiction

Gambling addiction is a growing problem in Latvia, and 38,000 people are now on the self-exclusion register, where individuals enter their own names to be barred from licensed gambling venues. To help people with addictions and their relatives, a digital map has been created showing 60 places where help and psychological support are available, 360TV News reported.

What the map covers

The map lists addresses offering support in gambling addiction prevention, treatment and social rehabilitation. Most of the specialists are located in Riga. The map was produced by the gambling industry's own association, which creates a certain contradiction, but an industry representative insists that addicted players are not in its interest.

Liga Lice, executive director of the association of licensed gambling operators in Latvia, says the industry views gambling as entertainment, where people knowingly spend time and money, which lets them play in a controlled way over the long term.

The register does not solve the problem

The number of addicted people keeps rising, and about 60% play online. The real number of players is said to be considerably larger than the number on the register. Agnese Rudzite, a spokesperson for the State Revenue Service, explains that registers in other countries are not synchronised, so a person can gamble abroad or turn to the illegal market. The service estimates that about 26% of the gambling market operates in the shadow zone, and illegal online casinos reappear as soon as one is blocked.

Warning signs

Sandra Puce, chair of the board of the National Mental Health Centre, urges relatives and colleagues to watch for signs: stress, red eyes, lack of sleep, irritability and dysphoria. In her view, a conversation is definitely needed in such cases. The problem begins, she says, when a person cannot stop playing and sacrifices other parts of life for it.

Specialists remind that people with addictions most often do not admit their problem and carefully hide it even from their closest family members.