Doctors and Therapists of Paracelsus clinics are afraid of growth in gambling addiction among young people if in 2021 the State Treaty on gambling ( GluStV ) comes into force in its current form. In a declaration on Monday, the experts asked persons which are considering the decisions to refuse the ratification of GluStV.

The law legalizes online gambling which was prohibited or in exceptional cases allowed, such as online casinos or poker – commented by Dr. Peter SubKowski, Medical Director of the Paracelsus- Wittekkind Clinic and Paracelsus- Berghofklinik in Bad Essen.

Such online offers are low-threshold entry into gambling and not only have the risk of gambling addiction for thousands of users, but also endanger patients who have hard managed to get out of it.

Safeguards are planned, such as deposit limits, advertising restrictions, blocking devices and systems for detecting gambling behavior, but this, according to Dr. Draco is not enough.

Big danger to young people and ex gamblers.

Teenagers and young adults are at particular risk because the online casino games look like the regular computer games that young people are already familiar with from their smartphones and PC.

Virtual gambling was advertised as harmless entertainment, but later led to big financial losses- explained by Dr. Subkowski.

Young gamers can easily lose their common sense. The expert believes that, trying to compensate for their losses with high risks, they quickly enter a vicious circle.

The 1000 euro limit is too high!

Experts also criticize the monthly deposit limit of 1000 euros. “ This amount is clearly too high as it is already contributing to excessive play behavior” – said Tobias Brockmann, managing director of rehabilitation at Paracelsus Clinics and a board member of the Drug Addicts Association.

As little as 1000 euro could get a threat to the livelihoods of low income families, especially since gambling activities are not limited.

In addition, you should consider the possibility of playing in land-based gambling halls and lotteries. According to the annual report of the gambling authorities of the federal states, 11 billion euros were legally realized in 2019.

Another high-risk group is ex addicts. The constant availability of gambling means a constant risk of relapse. The prohibition, which provides for isolation from several months to a year, is too short-sighted, since it takes several years for such patients to recover permanently.

The liberalization of online gambling is clearly premature, especially since the gambling authority was unable to even begin work at the start of GluStV on 1st of July.

In addition, more attention needs to be paid to medical and scientific research. From the point of view of narcologists, the State Treaty should not enter into force in the existing format.