Mr. Hayer, you come from Bremen, are you also a football fan? As a native of Bremen, I am of course a Werder supporter. But when I watch football, I now notice more advertising for sports betting than football.
Then what do you think?
I’m thinking about the commercialization of football in general, but of course also about my own research topic: gambling addiction. We’re going down a wrong path here. Gambling is advertised so massively, so omnipresently and so widely. I consider this to be a massive undesirable development in terms of health science and health policy.
© Kai Uwe Bohn / University of Bremen University Communication (excerpt)
Tobias Hayer | The psychologist, who holds a doctorate, is researching the consequences of gambling at the University of Bremen.
Many football stars have no inhibitions. They blatantly advertise sports betting.
In the Champions League we are constantly bombarded with advertising, and this was also the case at the 2024 European Championship. When idols like Oliver Kahn, Rudi Völler, Jürgen Klopp or Lukas Podolski promote sports betting, the product has a good reputation. Then there can be nothing risky, dangerous or potentially harmful about it. Sports betting has arrived at the center of society. But: The damage associated with the expansive market development, such as gambling addiction, money laundering or game manipulation, has also reached the middle of society.
But Mr. Hayer, anyone who gambles a little isn’t immediately addicted.
Not at all. While we now assume that when it comes to alcohol, any form of consumption can cause health damage, things are a bit different when it comes to gambling. The majority of all German citizens play responsibly, i.e. in a controlled manner, in moderation, in a manageable manner and without negative consequences. But there is now a significant minority who are literally gambling away their house and yard. This extends to personal bankruptcy, acquisitive crime and suicidality.
In the specialist magazine “The Lancet” warned a group of experts very urgently about the negative consequences of gambling for society as a whole. It was said that 80 million people worldwide are addicted to gambling. How many people are affected in Germany?
The current population survey, the Gambling Survey, speaks of around 1.4 million people in Germany suffering from a gambling disorder, which is the official term for gambling addiction. These people meet at least four of the nine criteria we use to determine the disorder. Another 3.5 million Germans also exhibit risky gambling behavior. These are people who are showing the first symptoms of addiction. They have fewer than four criteria met, but at least one.
What criteria are these?
These are characteristics that we know from classic addictions. The addictive substance, in this case gambling, becomes the central meaning of life. Or you continue playing even though consequential damage has already occurred. Then of course there is a loss of control, an increase in dosage, an inability to abstain and two symptoms typical of gambling: Firstly, chasing behavior, i.e. chasing after losses – those who lose continue to gamble in the hope of winning big money. And on the other hand, the bailout – those affected rely on other people to help them out of their financial misery.
1.4 million gambling addicts. That’s a lot more people than three years ago.
Caution! The population survey has been carried out since 2007, previously by the Federal Center for Health Education, but since 2021 by colleagues from Hamburg and here in Bremen. This Gambling Surveyas it is called today, has identified a significantly greater extent of the problem, but cannot easily be compared with the previous studies by the Federal Center because the methodology has changed. That means we can’t identify a trend.
So was the problem deliberately magnified?
This is the accusation made by the gambling providers. It is said that the numbers are overestimated. But in my opinion the findings are scientifically valid. Based on cross-references from the specialist literature and other strands of evidence, I am convinced that the numbers are quite close to the truth. In addition, focusing exclusively on people addicted to gambling misunderstands the full extent of the problem. The damage associated with gambling not only affects those addicted to gambling, but also and above all their immediate social environment, families for example. They also suffer greatly from this disease.
And are overwhelmed. It is often said: pull yourself together!
When it comes to classic addictions, we have already progressed to the point where the majority of the population does not see this as a moral inadequacy. But when someone gambles too much, people often act as if the person has a weak character or a personality disorder. These reactions show that we as a society need to become better at understanding gambling addiction as an addictive disorder. This is important because it is associated with a lot of suffering.
»You can’t tell that someone addicted to gambling has an addiction. No punctures like a junkie, no dilated pupils like cannabis, no hint of alcohol.”
What makes gambling addiction so harmful?
There are three special features of gambling addiction. First: It is the most expensive addiction; many of those affected are massively in debt. Secondly, you can’t see the addiction of a person addicted to gambling from the outside; there are no obvious warning signs. No punctures like a junkie, no pupil dilation like cannabis, no hint of alcohol. This makes it even easier for those affected to keep their own illness secret from their families. They build up a framework of lies and lead a double life. This leads us to the third thing: those affected often fall extremely low before they reveal themselves. They are generally good – and I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way – actors. They are ashamed of their behavior and suffer from feelings of guilt. And before they take the step of telling the truth, they often resort to suicide. We usually see even higher levels of suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts and completed suicides in gambling addicts than in other mental disorders.
How do relatives suffer from gambling addiction? And what can they do to prevent things from coming to an end?
First of all, trust and with it the basis of a functioning relationship is gone: If someone keeps their addiction and part of their life secret, gambles away their house and farm, then that has a bad effect on their families and life partners. How can we be ruined like that, many relatives think. You then need relief, information and support yourself. First of all, you shouldn’t throw accusations of guilt or empty threats around, but rather understand that someone is sick.
That’s asking a lot.
Absolutely. They themselves are threatened with losing their livelihood. Money is missing everywhere.
»Members of sports clubs gamble more often than the general population. Many athletes assume that they can better predict the outcome of games«
Who is particularly at risk of gambling addiction?
Men, rather young, migrant background – this triad is evident in all studies. In addition, those affected are often uneducated and come from households where little money is available. Studies also show that children who grow up with a parent who is addicted to gambling have a significantly increased risk of gambling excessively later on. And we know that members of sports clubs gamble more often than the general population. Many athletes assume that they are better at predicting the outcome of games. You operate in an environment in which sports betting is now simply part of it.
And the betting providers know how to attract their clientele.
There are a variety of strategies for customer acquisition and customer retention. Two examples: On the one hand, arcades and betting agencies are, coincidentally, often located in socially disadvantaged areas. On the other hand, advertising for sports betting is tailored to specific target groups. I often see sports-loving young men with a migrant background in the commercials: they cheer, sometimes with banknotes, and are on the winning track. Incidentally, this gender gap is gradually closing; at least some gaming providers are also tailoring their products to women. About new gaming incentives, low-threshold offers and, above all, online offers with access without major inhibitions.
Nobody has to go to an arcade to become addicted to gaming anymore. Is online the growing market?
The Lancet article talks about a “digital revolution”. We are constantly online and constantly come into contact with gambling offers. Providers are making more and more money from online business. In addition, gaming and gambling are increasingly merging, there are numerous computer games with gambling elements, and people are being introduced to the principles of gambling uncritically. These are special and new dangers both for vulnerable groups of people and for society as a whole.
Where is the state’s duty of care?
I wonder that too. In Germany and around the world, attempts are being made to shift the responsibility for an addiction back primarily to the individual. Everyone is the creator of their own luck, everyone should decide for themselves whether they want to gamble. That’s not fundamentally wrong, but the main symptom of addiction is loss of control. I don’t control my gambling behavior, gambling controls me. And here the state has a responsibility to introduce barriers and mitigate the dangers associated with gambling. The interest of the common good must take precedence over the tax interests of the state and the business interests of the providers. But there are enormous deficits in Germany.
»The German state earns a lot of money from gambling, in 2022 it was 6.2 billion euros. That’s twice as much money as the proceeds from alcohol-related taxes.”
To what extent?
The German state earns a lot of money from gambling; in 2022 it was 6.2 billion euros. That’s twice as much money as the proceeds from alcohol-related taxes. You see: gambling offers are important for the state as a source of income and apparently indispensable in the current budget situation.
What would the state have to do if it seriously wanted to get the problem under control?
We need more education and awareness. In addition, independent research, prevention and the assistance system are insufficiently funded compared to the state’s income. What is also needed are prevention measures that have already proven effective for other addictions: availability restrictions and advertising restrictions. I don’t understand why we don’t implement the findings from these measures, which make sense in terms of addiction policy – similar to nicotine and alcohol – for gambling. It is high time for the state to finally take effective action against gambling addiction.
