Eight out of 10 Argentines who play and bet online never received a warning about their behavior and the possible risks of generating an addiction, according to a recent survey.
More than 90% of Argentines consider themselves “responsible” when playing and betting online and the 64% He claims to do it “for fun”. The data comes from a survey conducted by Playtech, a gambling software development company, across the platform tolunawhich collected data from over 2,500 players from Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Chile and Colombia.
Argentina set the trend in terms of lack of protection reflected by the players. According to the survey, 84% of Argentines have never received a warning about their level of play and the possible problems that could arise from it.
The figure is the highest in all of Latin America and contrasts with Brazil, for example, where the 52% of respondents He said he was warned about his behavior with the game.
Online betting and virtual gambling already generate $2.4 billion in revenue in Argentina. The sector has grown steadily and has been strengthened during the coronavirus pandemic. So much so that Argentina leads the region al growth score (growth graph) which measures the use of online applications and games in relation to the number of users and downloads made.
The online age has greatly facilitated the possibility of more direct access to gamble.
The importance of warnings
As revealed by the study, among the few Argentines who have received warnings about their online gambling behavior, 21% say they have changed their location and taken a break from gambling.
Instead, 31% said that, Despite the warning signal, he hasn’t changed his behavior. Meanwhile, 15% aren’t sure but believe getting the warning had some effect, 2% stopped playing immediately and another 2% felt the warnings made them play even more.
In this regard, the Argentines agree that it is necessary to optimize the rules to play more safely. More than 50% of respondents believe that “the industry needs to improve” and that the government “should adopt clearer guidelines” to reduce gambling-related risks.
When asked how they feel when they receive warning messages and advice while playing, 37% of Argentines respect the method because they know it works to their advantage, 27% appreciate it and feel safe with the messages, 11 % want to know more about their gaming behavior, 14% say they feel irritated, but don’t see messages as affecting their gaming experience and 10%, in addition to not liking receiving them, would like to get rid of them.
Regarding your preferences on how to receive these protection messages by betting the majority prefer via email (35%) or through pop-up messages on the page or app (32%) while 15% would not like to receive them at all.
safe entertainment
According to studies developed in this regard, around 5% of gamblers may develop some type of addiction or compulsion related to gambling worldwide.
In Argentina, seven out of each 100 people suffer from gambling (disorders derived from compulsive and problematic use of gambling) according to the study conducted by the Office of the Ombudsman of the Province of Buenos Aires.
“Safer gaming solutions need to be developed that focus on the well-being of the individual player and not generically the entire player base, as we are all different. On the other hand, we need to educate both policy makers and peers in the industry about the potential of this approach“, explains Francesco Rodano, Director of Policy at Playtech.
Argentines consider themselves “responsible gamblers” According to the survey conducted by Playtech, over 90% of Argentines consider themselves “responsible” when it comes to playing and betting online and 64% say they do it “for fun”. On the other hand, just 1% of respondents acknowledge that gambling is harming them.
When asked what they mean by responsible gaming, a majority of Argentines (53%) linked it to the possible economic problems of a compulsive practice and turned to the option of “don’t spend money you can’t afford to lose gambling.”
“The use of technology applied to player protection is very important. Our goal is to identify those who are potentially vulnerable to gambling addiction. Before you detect these cases, intervention will be more effective in helping them”, warned Francesco Rodano.
And he developed: “As the gaming industry grows, we must pay particular attention to the problems it can generate. Increased betting transparency is important for user safety. Regulatory policies of states in relation to online gambling and players must be clear They should be aware of that.”
SL
Source: Clarin
Linda Price is a tech expert at News Rebeat. With a deep understanding of the latest developments in the world of technology and a passion for innovation, Linda provides insightful and informative coverage of the cutting-edge advancements shaping our world.