1. Abstract
Gambling is the act of staking something of value in the hopes of a desired result. It is a problem faced by every country including Malaysia. According to the American Psychiatric Association (2013), Gambling Disorder is a “Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders” which reinforces the theory that gambling is able to stimulate the brain’s pleasure and reward system similar to substance abuse. Due to the diversity in Malaysia, gambling has become a very controversial topic because of legality of this matter among religions and therefore everything in this paper should not be taken personally but instead professionally. This paper intends to explain some psychology concepts related to gambling disorder and the social effect of gambling, not only to the individual but also the social effects towards their surroundings.
2. Project Objectives
a) To spread awareness on the matters of gambling and the effects of it to the victims and their loved ones in an engaging way.
b) To understand and apply psychological concepts to gambling and human behavior towards it.
c) To understand and evaluate the social effects of gambling.
3. Introduction
Gambling is the act of staking something of value in the hopes of a desired result mainly in the form of cash. However, it is risky as the outcome is uncertain. Lotteries and scratch-off tickets are common types of gambling in Malaysia where people can risk a few ringgits to win thousands or millions. It is a social phenomenon among today’s youth and like all things, have the potential of bringing negative impacts.
In Malaysia, frequent gamblers may visit Genting Highlands for their well known, Casino de Genting, which is the first and only legal casino in this country. However, since there is only one legal casino throughout the entire country, illegal casinos and betting areas are very prominent in Malaysia. The leap in technology in the last few decades has also made online gambling a huge problem due to the convenience of smartphones and other devices; anyone could easily access an online betting site and place bets which is where the problem arises with the young generation.
Social gamblers are people who normally gamble with their friends for a limited amount of time with acceptable losses. Most adults who are involved in gambling are social gamblers, and the act of social gambling does not affect a person’s personal life. However, that person can lose control of their gambling and may become a problematic gambler. It is statistically proven that most of the gamblers are in their 40s.
So why do people gamble? If a person is asked with this question, they will most likely answer, “for the money”. However, there are several other reasons behind to explain why people gamble. Based on research, money is not the main reason for young adults to gamble, they involve in gambling to avoid negative thoughts, in other words, they want to clear their mind off from the problems in their life. Some gamblers gamble to calm themselves as it is fun and entertaining for them, while some got involved into gambling due to peer pressure. Besides that, the sense of anticipation creates an adrenalin rush where many may find it exciting and fun. Basically, it’s natural for humans to feel the excitement as they take risks. Not only that, teenagers normally gamble because they got influenced by their own family members. It may start from a normal card game during Chinese New Year and eventually becomes an addiction in a casino.
There are various forms of gambling to choose, some may depend entirely on luck while some involve in skill and strategy. The common types of gambling are card games, gambling machines, dice games, spinning wheels and sports betting. Normally, gamblers are attached to card games due to the convenience of it and the fact that it can be played almost anywhere. Notable examples of card games in Malaysia are big two, blackjack, poker and many more. Gambling machine are only available in casinos or certain gambling area however when it is mentioned, people usually associate it with slot machines since it is very popular around the world. Slot machines are well known for the “near misses” which causes frustration yet makes the gamblers continue playing until he has given up or runs out of cash.
4. Research
4.1 Interviewing Victims
In order to create a more impactful presentation, multiple interviews were conducted with the victims and their loved ones in the Gambler Rehab Centre (GRC) of Malaysia. The primary objective of the interviews is to be able to gain personal and emotional thoughts about the issue of gambling for both the victim of gambling and their loved ones. In order to protect the interviewee’s privacy, their personal information including name and identity shall not be disclosed to the public.
4.2 Gambler Rehab Centre Malaysia
The Gambler Rehab Centre (GRC) of Malaysia was founded on 21st February 2003 with the objective to help people with gambling addiction. It is a non-profit community care center and a member of National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF) Malaysia. Their services include but not limited to education and awareness seminars, gambling addiction habitation courses and family counselling.
5. Proposal
5.1 Introduction
An introduction will be provided and will include the group information and project objectives. We will also explain to the audience the focus of our project in order to ensure that every element of the project is clear.
5.2 Short Film
The interview sessions allowed the development of a short film that would be played at the beginning of the presentation with two purposes. Firstly, the emotional film will help develop a serious atmosphere at the beginning of the presentation which, would make it easier for us to convey our ideas to the audience. Secondly, we believe that the audience would pay more attention if we first created a moving moment and allow the problem, gambling, to be viewed from a different point of view. Shortly after the film ends, a brief explanation of the purpose of the film will be provided to help the audience understand our campaign and prepare them for the technical session.
5.3 Presentation
The presentation will be focused on the psychology and social impacts of gambling. We will ensure that all necessary questions are answered fully and try to make the session as engaging as possible through several public speaking techniques. Additional items such as brochures from the GRC will also be given out to make the session more engaging.
6. Body
6.1 Psychological Concepts of Gambling Disorder
6.1.1 Reinforcement Schedules
Reinforcement is a stimulus or event that follows and encourages a behavior. There are 2 types of reinforcement schedules; continuous reinforcement and partial reinforcement. Skinner believed that variable schedule of reinforcement (an example of partial reinforcement) was one of the main factors in the attraction and addiction of gambling. (Skinner, 1953).
Addiction is learnt when a substance or activity is rewarding or enjoyable (at least at the beginning). According to the principles of operant conditioning, rewarding a behavior after it has occurred would encourage and increase the likelihood of it taking place again. This is done throughout reinforcement; positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement, or punishment. In the context of gambling, the positive reinforcement is winning money, however, studies have shown that the gambler often correlates gambling with a pleasant pastime rather than an opportunity to win money (Anselme P and Robinson MJF, 2013). Therefore, it is also possible of arousal or excitement to be a positive reinforcement as seen in Figure 1.
The use of partial reinforcements along with the uncertainty of gambling makes gambling highly addictive. Gamblers are only rewarded in terms of wining of money after a number of responses and these change over time which makes this method highly effective thus encouraging them to continue gambling. Recent research has proven this theory through experimentation with rats. (Singer et al.,2012) In this research, Singer and his colleagues underwent an experiment to determine the effect of saccharin under a fixed or variable reinforcement schedule in healthy male rats. They predicted that rats that were exposed to variable schedule which mimics the situation of gambling would show a higher response level to amphetamines compared to the rats that were exposed to a fixed schedule. Their results confirmed their hypothesis as the rats that were exposed to variable schedule showed a 50% greater response to amphetamines, which concluded that a variable schedule is able to induce a sensitization of brain dopamine systems.
6.1.2 Near Misses
The noun ‘near misses’ can be defined as something which is almost achieved. This technique is commonly used in casinos to increase the desire to continue gambling. In gambling, games such as lotteries and slot machines does not give any information that could be used by the players to increase the chances of winning. In other word, winning in those games rely on pure chances. However, gamblers often think that their actions can control the outcome of the results even though the event is dependent on luck; this is known as Illusion of Control. When a ‘near misses’ occur, gamblers are encouraged to continue gambling as there is a sense that they are mastering the game and that they can control the outcome of the game.
A near miss is actually a loss, and gambling companies normally increases the number of near misses to make gamblers feel like they are winning, which encourages them to keep playing. This was seen in 2010, where neuroscientists, Reza Habib and Mark R. Dixon found out that “near misses” triggered similar brain activity as if they had won.
Another recent research, showed that compared to “full-misses,” near-misses were less pleasant ironically increased their desire to play. (Clark, L., Lawrence, A. J., Astley-Jones, F., & Gray, N. 2009) Both of these studies, reinforces the effectiveness of “near miss” and is one of the major factor of why gambling is so addictive as gamblers are made to believe that the next one would win where in fact the probability of winning does not change.
6.1.3 Dopamine and Withdrawal Effects
Dopamine is a type of naturally occurring chemical called neurotransmitter that regulates emotions and provides feeling of happiness and ease. A high concentration of dopamine in the brain will produce a strong feeling of euphoria; the intense rush of happiness that gamblers crave for. (Addictionhelper n.d.) This feeling similar to other form of addictions such as drug or alcohol abuse.
6.2 Social Problems
In Figure 3, we are able to observe the release of dopamine in the when the gambler hope and anticipate of a win. If the outcome is favorable, a higher concentration of dopamine is released compared to when there in a lack of hope in winning. This produces feelings of euphoria and intense excitement which makes gamblers addicted to the preparation process, placing the gamble and anticipating a win.
However, like drug and alcohol abuse, tolerance begin to develop over time. The more they gamble, the more tolerant they become to the high levels of dopamine produced therefore in order to gain the same euphoric feeling, they need to make riskier bets. Over time, addiction develops, and they need to seek activities that produces dopamine otherwise they have to face the withdrawal effects. A recent research showed that the withdrawal effects are very similar to drug abuse which includes, depression, restlessness, anger and guilt and that these withdrawal effects amplifies with the severity of the gambling addiction. (Cunningham-Williams et al, 2009) This makes it very difficult for the gambler to stop as they are constantly obsessed with gambling and they do not want to experience the negative withdrawal effects.
6.2 Social Impacts of Gambling
6.2.1 Age Demographic of Gambler
Table 1
Age Demographic of Gambler in Malaysia
Age Group (Years) Percentage of Gambler (%)
18-20 4
21-30 14
31-40 26
41-50 42
51-60 12
>60 2
Data retrieved from Gambler Rehab Center of Malaysia
Note. Age group begins at 18 years old due to legal gambling age
Figure 4. Age Demographic of Gambler in Malaysia. Adapted from Gambler Rehab Center of Malaysia
According to Table 1 and Fig 3, the age group with the highest percentage of gamblers are between 41 to 50 years old at 42 per cent, followed by 31 to 40 years old at 26%. However, the percentage of gambler between the age group of 18 to 30 is predicted to increase due to the increase convenience of online gambling and the exposure to gambling. This is evident in a study done by the GRC (2014), where they found out that 89% of Malaysian have been exposed to some form of gambling and 64% of student being expose to it before the age of 12. This is a major issue as the future generations would be more exposed to gambling therefore increasing the number of problematic gamblers which would lead to more issues.
6.2.2 Legality of Gambling
6.2.1.1 Islamic Law
Malaysia is a multicultural society filled with many ethnicities and religions. According to the Department of Statistic Malaysia (2016), the ethnicity Bumiputera (consists of Muslims, indigenous peoples, natives of Sabah and Sarawak) had the highest percentage with 68.6 per cent, followed by Chinese (23.4 %), Indians (7.0 %) and Others (1.0 %).
Under the Islamic Law, Muslims (Bumiputera) are not allowed to gamble or gain any revenue from gambling activities and is punishable by law according to Syriah Criminal Offences Enactment of 1996. This poses a significant problem in Malaysia because of the social acceptance of gambling among other ethnicities (Chinese and Indians) which may cause many Muslims to participate in illegal gambling activities. This effect is due to peer pressure and has been proven through a recent study (Pitt, H., Thomas, S. L., Bestman, A., Daube, M., & Derevensky, J., 2017). The researchers concluded that people in the range of children to teenagers (8-16 years old) is very susceptible to peers, family and media influence and these strongly shape the child’s gambling attitude and behavior. This research corresponds well to a survey done by GRC (2017), which discovered that the likelihood of a gambler’s child becoming a problematic gambler is 4 times higher than a non-gambler’s child. All this evidence shows that gambling is a dangerous activity and that even though it is illegal in Islamic Culture, it is still done by many therefore this it must be reinforced by laws and policies.
6.2.1.2 Legal Gambling Activities
Currently, the Malaysian government allows some legal gambling activity. Casino de Genting, the first and only legal casino in Malaysia is located in Genting Highland resort where gambler is able to gamble without the fear of breaking the law; however, Muslims are still unable to participate in gambling activities as it is against the Islamic Law. Other than Casino de Genting, the Lotteries Act of 1952 allowed several privately-owned lottery operators to operate legally. Examples of these companies are Sports Toto, Damacai and Magnum Berhad. Additionally, the Racing Act of 1961 allows the betting of horse racing however only at the venue of the physical race course. (Leong B., Personal Communication, September 29, 2017) These legal gambling activities exposes gambling and makes it very accessible to the consumer thus increasing the likelihood of people participating in these activities. As a result, this may lead to more social problems that will be further discussed below.
6.2.1.3 Government Influence on Gambling
The authorities are targeting illegal lottery (4D) operations, cockfighting, cyber gambling, and many more. In 2016 alone, 4876 raids were performed by the Selangor police in a part of their ongoing battle against illegal gambling. A total of 5962 people was arrested and 2458 were charged for various offenses. Besides that, 61281 gambling machines were confiscated by the police. However, in terms of eradication, Penang has been running an operation called “Ops Dadu” which targets illegal gambling outlets. It was claimed that in the period of 7 months, the operation successfully eradicated 99% of Penang’s illegal gambling dens. Malaysian officials have been tackling illegal gambling by deporting over 4000 Chinese nationals for their part in an alleged gambling scam hosted from Macau. Not only that, Chief of Police, Tan Sri Mohammad Fuzi Harun has led more than 5000 operations to eradicate illegal gambling operators from the market since the official was appointed. In Sarawak, the Sarawak police have been carrying out raids with a degree of success, having arrested 215 people in 74 cyber outlet raids, 4 common gaming houses, and 2 cock fighting arenas in a month. Through the raids, RM22444 was seized along with 108 computers, and these raids are still ongoing. (Waterhouse, I. 2017, September 4)
According to Malaysia Deputy PM, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, online gambling is gradually becoming a prominent issue in Malaysia. This is largely due to the convenience of accessing online gambling sites and applications via smartphones. To avert this problem, modifications will be made to the Common Gaming House Act of 1953, preventing citizens from having a means to online gambling. (The Star Online, October 2017) Nonetheless, politicians and legislators still hold different views on how to amend the law as such changes may consequently affect the country's economy. Based on the tolerances and acceptance of these changes from citizens, positive or negative effects on the economy may occur.
6.2.1.4 Economical Impacts of Legalizing Gambling
Despite the many negative effects on the gambling and the social injustice caused by it, gambling relates a fair amount to the government. In most countries gambling is a multi-billion earning revenue for the countries that practices it. The government is able to earn revenue by becoming directly involved with the services that provide gambling to the gamblers or through the taxation rates in gambling operating area. (Shaffer, H. J., & Korn, D. A. 2002) Countries that implements these taxes tend to have high taxation rates in the gambling industry compared to other industries since there is a large market (Clotfelter, 2005). Other than raising funds, the government who are directly involved with these gambling activities can regulate and control the gambling activities; taxes and services can be used to help decrease gambling activity as they increase the cost of playing thus making it less attractive to gamblers. (Williams, R.J., Rehm, J., & Stevens, R.M.G., 2011) New job opportunities in gambling operating areas may also develop which would lower unemployment however, there are also many other negative social impact that must be considered.
6.2.3 Financial Instability
One devastating issue caused by a gambling addiction is financial instability. With the rare exception of some responsible skilled professional gamblers, most people that delve deep into the world of gambling end up negatively impacting their finances. According to Smethurst E. (2014), the analysis on problem gamblers in a residential treatment programme done by them gives the insights that the amount that as gambled away ranges from as low as RM 15 000 to as high as RM 9 000 000." An ex gambling addict from GRC, David, expressed his personal experience and stated that 1 month of salary could be lost in just 1 night of gambling. Based on a survey done by the GRC in 2017, 88 per cent of gamblers have face financial crisis and has considered or taken a financial loan. Unfortunately, loan sharks take advantage of the gambler’s desperation when they need more money and attempt to scam them through very high interest rates and loopholes in contracts. As a result, this leads to unemployment, bankruptcy, family disturbance and more.
Financial instability is typically due to the fact that problematic gamblers tend to suffer in their work life. Studies have found that problem gamblers report higher rates of losing a job than non-gamblers, and those who are working reported productivity loss due to being late, poor work attendance, and being too occupied with gambling (Ladouceur, R., Boisvert, J.M., Pepin, M., Loranger, M. & Sylvain, C. (1994). Problem gamblers also tend to have poor well-being and are more likely to become sick than the general population which could contribute to absenteeism. Examples of conditions they may suffer are anxiety, insomnia, anxiety, depressions, headaches or stomachache.
A study done by Georgia State University (n.d.), found out that over 80% of problematic gambler has a high risk of alcohol abuse. Not only is this bad for health but it is also bad for the gambler’s finance. Firstly, addiction to gambling makes the gambler more vulnerable to addiction of alcohol which would make it very hard for the gambler to stop due to the high tolerance developed (see …) Secondly, alcohol lowers inhibition and impairs cognitive abilities therefore it makes it difficult for the gambler to make decisions thus increasing the likelihood of making a mistake and losing the game. The gambler would be at a severe disadvantage and may not even realized his actions as alcohol can also impair memory thud making him vulnerable to losing a large sum of money.
6.2.4 Consequences to Family and Friends
Gambling often leads to negligence of family. One of the major problem is the loss of money through gambling. Financial problems is a very scary and worrying topic as a single bet could lead to all their savings and belongings to be lost. This is even more worrying if the gambler has a child or children as their future may quickly fall if the gambler is unable to pay for the necessity or education. A typical family would quickly try to fix the issue through habitation process or even family separation in order to protect their loved ones. An example of this took place on February 2012 where a housewife attempted suicide by setting a car on fire with her sitting in it as she was unable to repay a debt of RM 26 000 from loan sharks. (The Star Online, February 2012) It was said that her husband and her three daughters have disowned her from the family due to her gambling addiction and her habit in borrowing money from loan sharks due to the family’s concern on their safety and financial security.
Additionally, family members might feel ashamed and hurt if they found out that the person they love is addicted to gambling. This may cause isolation since many partners would not wish to be emotionally or physically close with the person who has inflict pain physically or emotionally on them. Many people with gambling problems tend to avoid other people as they feel ashamed of themselves which makes it hard for them to find love and support. Their debts and addiction may make it difficult to develop long lasting relationships which may lead to more problems such as depression or suicidal thoughts. Basically, gambling problems can affect intimate relationships and the effects can be divided into three phrases: the denial phase, the stress phase, and the exhaustion phase (Custer & Milt, 1985).
It is common to see violence in a family when that family is in a crisis. A study done by the Australian Gambling Research Centre, has shown that over half of the gamblers have been reported to have commit physical violence against their own family members. According to a research which was conducted internationally, over one third of people with gambling issues has report being the victims of physical intimate partner violence (IPV). These types of violence are brutal and unforgivable therefore divorce or family separation is very common within problematic gamblers.
6.2.5 Criminality
Besides the illegal act of gambling for Muslims, gamblers are more likely to partake in criminal activity than the average public. Many studies throughout the years has shown that problematic gambler commit more crimes so that they can fuel their gambling activities. The same study done by Georgia State University, shows that the probability of a gambler committing crime is an astonishing 50 per cent. Examples of common crimes are theft, loan-sharking, fraud, money laundering, counterfeiting money and many more. Crime rates increases with increased gambling availability and this is at the expense of society and it is a big problem since it affects the wellbeing of both the gambler and the people around him.
Although the numbers seem grim, there is a far worse problem with this. Crime rates directly leads to the development of the local industry. When a community is faced with swamps of crime and is infested with unlawfulness, it halts its development in its industry and its local sustainability. More funds need to be put into the law system to perform a near impossible job of eradicating crime due to the difficulty of searching the illegal gambling sites.
7. Conclusion
Gambling is a major problem in Malaysia and it should not be overlooked. Technology is changing the way we do things and it is also making it more convenient for gambling activity. Strict laws and regulation should be implemented in order to attempt to decrease illegal gambling activity that may lead to more social problems. However, awareness of gambling should also be done since gambling n moderation is fine however it can soon develop into an addiction which must be reinforced to children and teenagers.
8. Acknowledgement
The author of this paper would like to thank Gamblers Rehab Centre of Malaysia for allowing us to interview victims and their loved ones in order to gain their personal thoughts about gambling. Additionally, the author would like a to give a special thanks to Patrick Yoong and Ali Nadeem Quraishi for assisting in the development and peer reviewing of this paper. Finally, the author would like to thank the cast and crew of the short film; Hum Yvonne, Teh Pei Jet, Pang Jia Jet, Avineash, Lucas Ng, Julian Soh.