Young people aged 18-35 are at high risk.
Digital Trap for Young People: Gambling Addiction is Spreading Silently
Experts Warn: Digital Gambling Threatens Young People
The 4th Workshop on Combating Addiction, organized in collaboration with Yaşar University and Yeşilay (Turkish Green Crescent Society), was held under the title “Digital Gambling Addiction.” Yeşilay Advisor Enes Kaan Karaçengel stated that digital gambling addiction is most prevalent in the 18-35 age group due to their greater proficiency in digital technologies.
At the workshop held at the Selçuk Yaşar Campus, digital addiction and its solutions were discussed. A poster design workshop was also organized. Associate Professor Ferah Onat, the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Communication at Yaşar University and the workshop’s facilitator, stated that they aimed to raise awareness about digital gambling addiction. Associate Professor Onat said, “We thought that one of the most effective ways to draw attention to digital gambling addiction, which particularly affects young people, was to create posters. Therefore, we also held a poster design workshop.”
ADDICTION IS A BRAIN DISEASE
Enes Kaan Karaçengel, a clinical psychologist working as a counselor at the Yeşilay Counseling Center, stated that gambling disorder is actually an impulse control disorder, saying, “While addiction is defined as losing control over a substance, alcohol, or drug, any substance used uncontrollably or any behavior performed carries the risk of creating addiction. Individuals can develop usage or behavioral disorders towards many things in life. Addiction is fundamentally a brain disease.”
SYMPTOMS OF ADDICTION
Karaçengel also touched upon how addiction can be detected, providing the following information: “To detect addiction, we have certain criteria, such as: how frequently substance use disorder or behavioral disorder has occurred in the last year; whether symptoms such as insomnia, sweating, irritability, and tremors occur when stopping the substance/behavior; whether hobbies and social relationships are abandoned due to use; whether physical and mental health is negatively affected; whether the use or behavior negatively impacts family, friendships, school/work life; and whether there are frequent unsuccessful attempts to quit. Meeting three of these criteria indicates addictive behavioral disorder.”
TEN TIMES MORE COMMON IN YOUNG PEOPLE
Enes Kaan Karaçengel stated that digital gambling addiction is particularly prevalent among those aged 18-35, saying, “Digital gambling addiction is ten times more common in the 18-35 age group compared to older age groups. Their advanced technological knowledge and smartphone usage are the most important factors. On the other hand, because money is transferred in a virtual environment, individuals don’t realize how much money they are actually losing. Individuals with a certain income, such as minimum wage, are more likely to turn to digital gambling. We observe that they cannot make ends meet financially and aim to increase their income through this method. However, instead of increasing their income, they become mired in gambling addiction.”
YOUNG PEOPLE AT HOME ARE THE TARGET AUDIENCE.
Karaçengel emphasized that the number of stay-at-home youth in our country has been increasing in recent years, and they frequently fall into the trap of digital gambling. He continued: “In recent years, young people in Türkiye who cannot participate in either education or employment are staying at home; they are called ‘home youth.’ These young people are also a good target audience for online digital gambling platforms. This process, which usually starts with computer game addiction, leads young people to gambling with small amounts. Young people turn to digital gambling from the age of 15-16. On the other hand, most of these sites are illegal. This also opens the door to fraud. In countries where casinos are banned, gambling games are played on online platforms. Since these sites are illegal, players sometimes lose their money to these sites. There is also no possibility of seeking redress.”
Karaçengel stated that, in the fight against digital addiction, besides awareness campaigns and treatment processes, the most important criterion is that the individual wants to overcome the addiction on their own.
THEY DESIGNED IT FOR AWARENESS.
The winners of the poster design workshop, which was held with university students to raise awareness about digital gambling addiction, are as follows:
1. Zeynep Berfin Karasu (Yaşar University – Department of Public Relations and Advertising)
2. Umut Kabakçı (Yaşar University – Department of New Media and Communication)
3. Gülşah Çeviren (Yaşar University – Department of Public Relations and Advertising)
4. Damla Yılmaz (Yaşar University – Department of Public Relations and Advertising)
5th place: Merve Altın (Izmir Katip Çelebi University – Media and Communication)
