Daily Archives: May 13, 2022

The growing concern about gambling addiction, gambling advertising and harm often caused to vulnerable groups by the industry were the topic of agenda.ge interviews with international and Georgian officials and authorities on the subject, which shed a light on international practices and their adoption by local agencies working on the matter.

Why is gambling and online gambling so problematic, and why is it recognised as a threat to vulnerable groups, especially adolescents? Agenda.ge asked these questions to Ghassan Khalil, the UNICEF Representative in Georgia.

Photo: UnicefGeorgia Facebook page.

Gambling disorder is hidden addiction. Unlike substance abuse where physiological levels are quantified by the presence of alcohol or illicit drugs in the blood, there are no similar simple objective methods and indicators available for problem gambling, Khalil said, noting addiction to gambling among adolescents is a growing problem around the world, including Georgia.

It was the particular concept that related to the information he provided to agenda.ge on a study conducted by UNICEF in partnership with the Gambling Research and Ludomania Prevention Center in 2021. The organisations surveyed 1,000 adolescents aged 14-17 across Georgia to study their knowledge, attitudes and gambling practices.

The research aimed to determine the experience of adolescents in gambling for money, study their gambling-related behaviour, and identify adolescents motivators and attitudes towards gambling and ludomania. In the study, more than one in 10 adolescents said they practiced gambling with varying frequency, and over a quarter were actively involved in gambling with a frequency of at least a few days a week.

The survey also showed 22 percent of teenagers saying their first gambling experience had taken place at age 11 or earlier, while the majority - 78 percent - had started the practice at 12 or older. One in five teens in the study who gambled reported being in a depressed mood stemming from the activity, and two percent were involved in self-harm.

Adolescents susceptibility to the social environment was also identified by the study, which showed they rarely started gambling by themselves, usually getting involved with friends and peers (51 percent) or a family member (32 percent). In responses to the survey, 24 percent said they were involved because their friends were gambling, while 16 percent believed gambling to be an activity connected with status among peers.

Becoming initially involved in gambling, and continuing the engagement, was tied in the report to the desire to win money and have an outlet for spending free time. Other motivators included boredom and the perception that gambling is popular. Although minors in Georgia are not allowed to enter casino venues or register on online gambling platforms, 24 percent of the surveyed adolescents who gambled reported their first gambling to be at a casino, a slot club or a casino website. Further, 18 percent of the participants of the survey reported their parents knew about their practice. Only six percent of parents forbid their children from practising gambling, leading to household conflicts over the issue.

The study found that the level of awareness of adolescents about the risks associated with gambling and gambling addiction is low. The majority of adolescents who gamble do not talk to their parents about gambling and its risks. One third of adolescents report that if they become addicted to gambling, they would not turn to anyone for help but try to solve the problem alone, the UNICEF Representative said in comments to us, adding gambling prevention was most effective when initiated before the development of gambling habits among adolescents.

This could be achieved by awareness rising of the risks and consequences of at-risk gambling of the adolescents themselves, school-based education activities, informal education of adolescents, public health policy introduction and implementation. For gambling prevention among adolescents, it is also crucial to increase knowledge of the parents, teachers, communities and health workers in early identification of multiple signs of problematic gambling behaviour and in effective responding, Khalil also noted.

The position of UNICEF is in line with the contemporary approaches in leading countries for preventing problematic gambling. In the United Kingdom, precautionary measures include strict limitations on advertising space, while the "smartphone age" requires a completely different approach. A BBC article on March 8, 2022 cited the House of Lords on the figure of 300,000 people in the UK being problematic gamblers, with 55,000 being children. On average, a problematic gambler commits suicide every day, and about two million people are affected by the issue.

The chairman of Peers for Gambling Reform Lord Foster is calling for urgent changes to be made to the UK's 'out of date gambling laws. The peer said smartphones had led to absolutely massive growth in gambling but the current regulations were written before they were invented. He said: There are a lot of changes urgently needed, the article noted.

Speaking to the BBC, Lord Foster added it was "worth remembering that the legislation that provides the regulation around gambling was introduced before the first smartphone was invented.

Photo: BBC.com

It is important to note that drastic changes were recently announced in the UK that illustrated the impact of athletes, influencers, celebrities and their advertising activities on people's consciousness. Starting in October, gambling and betting companies will be banned from using advertising featuring top-flight footballers and other sports personalities, as well as reality TV and social media stars, under new rules designed to protect under-18s and other vulnerable groups, the Guardian said.

The article noted the changes, set out by the body responsible for the UK code for advertising, will mean that past betting and gambling marketing that features stars and celebrities such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Jos Mourinho, Michael Owen and Harry Redknapp, would not be allowed in the UK. The wide-ranging new rules also include a ban on showing specific teams football kit and stadiums in ads, as well as using video game content and gameplay popular with under-18s. No more top-flight footballers or other high-profile sportspeople promoting the latest odds, said Shahriar Coupal, the director of the Committee of Advertising Practice, which sets the rules enforced by the UKs advertising watchdog.

Photo: Cristiano Ronaldo's Facebook page.

Former England and Arsenal footballer Paul Merson, who became addicted to gambling himself, told BBC Sport it "sickens" him to see former players and managers in gambling adverts.

As for the Georgian reality, the difficulty of the situation with gambling in the country has been highlighted by studies indicating the activity has become a significant challenge for teenagers and the vulnerable groups of the society. Over the years, various non-governmental organisations, politicians and activists have called for stricter gambling laws, and urged the Government to take preventive and adequate steps.

On June 1, 2020, the EMC non-governmental organisation responded to the problem of juvenile gambling involvement by saying participation in child gambling remained a "serious challenge that increased the risk of chronic poverty and psychosocial problems. In efforts to ensure a safe environment and healthy development opportunities for juveniles, EMC called on the Georgian Government to develop strict gambling regulation mechanisms to prevent juvenile delinquency.

In early 2022, the initiative of Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on imposing restrictions on gambling and its advertising in the country was announced. The new legislative regulations for online gambling businesses banned online gambling for one million citizens starting March 1. Georgian nationals receiving social assistance from the state, citizens under the age of 25, public servants and individuals on blacklists following requests by their families have been prohibited from the activity. Gambling ads on TV, websites, and outdoors have been banned, with only sponsorship agreements allowed. Financial operations can be made only by registered users, while money transfers between gamblers are restricted. Restrictions were also imposed on citizens gambling through foreign online casinos, and. tax providers have been denied transfers to foreign gambling business accounts.

The head of the Government said lots of people - minors, young, vulnerable people were addicted to online gambling, and cited 1.5 billion ($312m/278m) being spent by citizens annually in online casinos in his announcement of the new regulations, adding the ban was now also placed on payments to gambling businesses abroad.

Photo: Government's Administration.

At the same time, it is important to know how the amended legislation is being implemented, what international standards have been adopted, and what data the Government has at its disposal at the moment. We directed these questions to the Revenue Service of the Finance Ministry, the body responsible for enforcing the new legislation. These questions also come at a time when critical opinions have emerged in parts of the public over the initiative, with speculation about a significant financial loss from limitations placed on gambling and related businesses.

Levan Dgebuadze, the Head of the Service Department of the Revenue Service, told Agenda.ge the Gambling Business Policy Division at the Ministry of Finance had studied and taken into account international practices and experience while amending the law.

Photo: Revenue Service of Georgia.

Dgebuadze said while preparing amendments to the Law on Arranging Lotteries, Gambling and Gaming, representatives of the Division had studied a multilateral agreement related to online gambling in the European Union which covers a wide ranges of issues: harmonisation of third country legislation with EU laws; regulations for issuing individual permits, protection of users, minors and vulnerable groups, prevention of fraud and money laundering, and more.

The Gambling Business Policy Division of the Georgian Ministry also reviewed the 2017 EU Framework for Online Gambling, according to which a separate permit is required in EU countries to set up gambling platforms, with a fee required for the permit. The recommendation of a 2019 European Commission on Evaluation of Regulatory Tools for Enforcing Online Gambling Rules and Channeling Demand towards Controlled Offers was also studied, with the document envisaging establishment of permits for online gambling by national gambling services and online.

The amendments of the Georgian Law were also prepared in accordance with the 2012 Georgia report of the Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism of the Council of Europe, which noted there was no requirement for a separate permit for online gambling in the country. The report also said there was no mechanism to reduce the risks associated with online gambling.

Based on the above, the Revenue Service is "constantly analysing" the legal framework of foreign countries, proactively studying problematic issues and, if necessary, constantly developing legislative initiatives, said Dgebuadze.

When asked about enforcement, the Director of the Department said inspections of permit holders were carried out through a "selective inspection" of permit conditions.

"The Revenue Service is authorised to control implementation of permit conditions. For this purpose, at any time during the calendar year and without quantitative restrictions, the permit holder may be checked for compliance with the requirements established by the Law of Georgia on Lotteries, Gambling and Gaming and other normative acts. The Revenue Service also "responds promptly" to any information about regulatory offenses, the official noted, adding inspections of permit holders were carried out through a "selective inspection" of permit conditions," he noted.

Dgebuadze said in addition to the new regulations set for gambling businesses from March 1, the Revenue Service had identified facts of non-registration of gambling activities and admission of persons included in the blacklist to gambling venues as a result of inspections.

Photo: 1TV.ge

The Service has set up a register of individuals noted for gambling addiction, and those prohibited from the activity to "further help" gamblers and their families in overcoming problematic gambling. According to Dgebuadze, the list of those with addiction includes data on 694 individuals, and the roster of prohibited persons has information on 1,440,526 persons.

Finally, we spoke to a parent whose son became a victim of problematic gambling. Nino K. said the family had not been able to protect the child in time because they did not take his involvement seriously at first, with him becoming addicted to gambling as well as "imitation" of his gambling peers, desire to win money quickly, and wasting time on online gambling.

It is difficult to extricate yourself from this world [of gambling] [and] in the end, you have a person who can no longer perceive reality. We are on a very difficult path now. When there were advertisements for these games all around us - with even the celebrities that children watch and adore promoting not a healthy lifestyle but online gambling - it is very difficult to explain to a teenager that this is not the right way. Whether on the way to school or elsewhere, these colourful ads everywhere were reminding us how easy it is to win money. The children were able to play online without any serious restrictions, and we slowly came to a disastrous result.

At the end of the interview, the mother said she was happy with the change in the states gambling policy and believed the view would be shared by any parent.

Time will be the judge of the ultimate consequences of the changes to the Law on Arranging Lotteries, Gambling and Gaming in Georgia, but the countrys ongoing adaptation to an approach that reflects the state taking more responsibility over the matter is already apparent.

More:

In the footsteps of Georgia's gambling law amendments - international practices and experience shared by the Finance Ministry - Agenda.ge

Hannah Walker first noticed her partner liked to gamble when they would go to the pub together: he would make a beeline for the fruit machine, while shed play quizzes and card games on itbox machines. But hed stay on the fruit machine a lot longer, and Id leave the itbox to continue my glass of wine, she recalls. She thought nothing of it at the time. Just like her enthusiasm for a few glasses of wine, she saw casual gambling as a vice, but one that was fun and easily managed.

Over the next few years, though, unexplained money troubles became an increasing feature of the couples life together. Walkers partner was constantly glued to his phone, until one day in 2017 he left it at home by accident. I knew something wasnt right, so I logged in, and discovered that so much money had been going into online gambling. Her initial reaction was shock, but also shame. I didnt want to tell family and friends about it because my partner is the most wonderful man in the world ever, but I knew they would judge him for it.

Sign up to our Inside Saturday newsletter for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of the magazines biggest features, as well as a curated list of our weekly highlights.

Like many partners of gambling addicts, Walker was perplexed by the gulf between how she perceived her partner kind, caring, responsible and how addicts are typically portrayed: as people who are out of control, and who dont follow the advice of one discontinued industry-funded slogan, When the fun stops, stop.

As a performance artist, Walkers remedy was to turn her experience into a piece of multimedia theatre, drawing on hours of interviews with addicts, their partners and clinical experts to help her understand how someone she so admired could be drawn into an expensive compulsion. What she took away from those conversations is the central message underpinning her new show, Gamble: Ive learned that gambling addiction has nothing to do with someones character.

Opening at the Northern Stage theatre in Walkers home town of Newcastle upon Tyne on 19 May, Gamble focuses on how websites use manipulative techniques to lure people in. Using video, lights and music, Walker creates a sinister, DayGlo dreamscape evoking the flashy colours of sites that promise punters harmless fun. Walker, dressed in a suit covered in dollar bills, casts herself as an industry gatekeeper. We love looking after our new customers, she purrs while offering free bet promotions, which is where many addictions start.

For much of the show, Walkers co-creator, Rosa Postlethwaite, sits silently on a sofa turned away from the audience. A projection shows her compulsively gambling on her phone, reflecting how online platforms have made addiction a solitary, 24/7 experience.

Gambles main plot line is autobiographical, charting Walkers experience with her partner, from the moment of discovery I want my 100,000 back! she shouts to the process of coming to terms with her partners condition. She describes how although he leaves Gamblers Anonymous meetings feeling proud of his progress, she feels awful, anxious about the money thats been spent and uncertain how to deal with her own feelings.

She and her character are not alone in that regard. Walker learned that many addicts and the people close to them are crying out for a space to share experiences. Unlike alcohol and drug addiction, which are better understood, there are far fewer support groups available.

There is such a stigma around addiction, and I dont know why that is, but all I know is that the more I talk about the fact my partner has gambled, the more people talk to me about their experience, and share that a family member or someone they know has gambled, she says.

Every performance of Gamble will be followed by a Q&A with Matthew Gaskell, a psychologist, gambling expert and clinical lead on addiction for the NHS Northern Gambling Service. Walker is also organising coffee and cake mornings for people to exchange stories. She and Gaskell believe that the shame associated with addiction is a deliberate strategy employed by gambling firms to distance themselves from its harms, and shift the burden of responsibility on to individual players so as not to jeopardise the industrys 5.9bn annual profits.

Theyre conveying the message that addiction has nothing to do with us: youre the one with the problem, you need to take responsibility and control yourself. Its no accident that they employ those tactics, Gaskell says. Whats been handed down to us through the years is the idea that addiction is a moral failing, a weakness of will. Even though this is undermined by science, it pervades the public discourse. This is compounded for gambling because less is known about it; its portrayed as everyday, harm-free, fun entertainment.

According to Gaskell, just 2 to 3% of people with a gambling addiction come forward for support. His patients say this is because they have no idea it is a health problem akin to drug or alcohol addiction. This is partly due to the increased societal acceptability of gambling, so its not seen as a problem, but also a lack of public health messaging showing people how to get help.

Gaskell thinks this is because the government is in thrall to the gambling industry, labelling it a leisure pursuit and placing it under the control of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport rather than the Department for Health and Social Care, which would shift the emphasis towards harm reduction. Public health messaging is typically funded by the gambling industry, leaving the public ignorant to its dangers and harms, he says.

This, says Gaskell, is in keeping with a culture shift that has taken place in recent years, and which he attributes to how online platforms have reinvented gamblings image. When I was growing up, gambling was seedy, behind frosted glass, something middle-aged men did with the Racing Post under their arm. It certainly wasnt something young football supporters did; its changed theyve hijacked youth culture and made it a cool thing.

He sees irony in the resistance to supercasinos in the 2000s, which were halted following a public outcry. Fast forward a few years and everyones got a supercasino in their pocket Rapid, continuous forms of gambling are where the harm is, he explains. This is because slow-moving events buying a national lottery ticket, for example are less likely to push people into a hot state in which they lose control and continue to bet, even though theyre losing money.

Walkers play coincides with a pivotal moment for the industry. This month, the government is expected to publish a long-awaited white paper on gambling, which addiction experts hope will introduce stronger regulation of the online market, including curbs on advertising and affordability checks, as well as preventing the industry from funding research and public health messaging, as big tobacco did in the past. The whole thing almost needs to be ripped up and started again, says Gaskell. The harm is so severe and pervasive, the previous laws just arent fit for purpose.

The power of Walkers show lies in her own emotional journey. When I first found out [my partner was gambling], I was shocked, and in my head I was like: If this ever happens again, Im gone, Ive got a baby. But when my partner relapsed it was so different, my emotional state in that moment. I felt: OK, thats happened, but the way you feel now must be so shit and so low that I completely empathise with you, and we will get through this.

I think if I hadnt began making the show, or doing any of the research, we potentially wouldnt be together.

Gamble is at Northern Stage, Newcastle upon Tyne, 19 to 21 May. If you are concerned about your gambling, or that of a loved one, visit BeGambleAware.org or call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.

The rest is here:

Hannah Walker: Gambling addiction has nothing to do with someones character - The Guardian

Black Hat Asia Keep an eye on new Chinese government policies, if you want to anticipate malware attacks, a threat intelligence analyst suggested at the Black Hat Asia conference on Thursday.

In a presentation about an emerging China-nexus modular trojan named "Pangolin8RAT", Taiwan-based cybersecurity firm TeamT5's Silvia Yeh noted that attacks on online gambling operators occurred around the same time that China announced action against such outfits.

While Yeh said the timing could be coincidental attacks on gambling and online gaming companies are not exactly new Pangolin8RAT appears to be a weapon of choice for Chinese state-sponsored cyber operations.

We observed some crackdown campaigns were followed by cyber operations

Yew later told The Register the attacks against foreign gambling firms might also be attempts to collect data for the crackdown campaigns.

"In our opinion, we surmise that the COVID-19 pandemic and China's crackdown on casinos (ie, crackdown against casinos in Macau) have made the online gambling industry become prosperous. So, these online gambling firms which possess an abundant amount of money and data have become top targets of threat actors," said Yew.

"Our opinion is that the Chinese policies will affect the cyber threat landscape in the region as we observed some crackdown campaigns were followed by cyber operations," added the threat intelligence analyst in an email.

"Pay attention to Chinese policies they may have an effect on the malware you see in your region," she warned.

Pangolin8RAT is modular malware that emerged in 2019 and is regularly updated. It is believed to be the successor of the PlugX and ShadowPad malware families, and has been used to target industries beyond gambling transportation, telecom and governments have all been attacked.

TeamT5 believes Pangolin8RAT is likely shared or traded among Chinese threat groups, for attacks aimed at espionage and/or financial gain.

But to date, Pangolin8RAT has mainly been used by one threat entity: the Chinese APT group Team5 has labelled "Tianwu". Its namesake is a mystical creature with eight human heads, eight feet, and eight tails. Team5 feels the malware may be an amalgam of efforts by many different actors.

Team5 hypothesizes the collaborative development process used to create Tianwu may represent a new mode of APT operations. The security company also feels that Tianwu could be a collaborator or subgroup of Chinese attack gang APT41, also known as Amoeba. Or perhaps Tianwu is a supplier of tools and infrastructure to others.

Pangolin8RAT has been used in a targeted fashion, which lends credence to the assertion that it may be used to achieve regulatory or political means. For instance, an attack launched on Kazakhstan's KZ Telecom may have been used to infiltrate associated carriers across Eurasia, and the threat actors have employed social engineering tactics in forums to lure dissidents into the open.

TeamT5 also found threat actors collect and store victim credentials, software source code and business info for future use. However, there also seems to be no consistent target, and TeamT5 had difficulty pinning down the threat actor's motive.

Go here to read the rest:

To predict the targets of Chinese malware, look at the target of Chinese laws - The Register

If youre looking to keep an eye on the amount youre wagering online, it makes sense to decide on a budget before you play. Although monitoring your spending may seem like youre sapping the fun out of online gaming, modest wagers can still secure you big returns and jackpot wins. To increase your chances of winning big at online gambling TopAsia casinos, youll need a clear understanding of which games boast the best odds. Read on for a snapshot guide to casino game odds so you can make smarter bets, every time.

Before we delve deep into the odds of specific games, its worth remembering that the house always wins. No matter whether youre playing in a live casino or wagering online, every game inherently favors the operator. This rule applies in every possible scenario. Different games have different odds, but its the player who is always taking the biggest risk.

If youre searching for casino staples with the highest odds of winning, keep it simple with table game classics. New players often turn to video slots because of their user-friendly mechanics, but the return-to-player rate of such games leaves a lot to be desired. While trying your luck at a virtual blackjack table may seem daunting, you stand to win significantly more if youre prepared to deploy a little strategy.

As with conventional casino play, online blackjack comes with a house advantage. However, the odds are more favorable than you might think. On average, players have around a 49% chance of securing a win when playing this table game online. To increase your chances of winning, youll need to be familiar with the rules of the game. In the case of blackjack, the aim of the game is to build a hand that totals as close to 21 as possible. Unlike other card games, youre not actually competing against other players. Its only the dealer you have to best. The outcome of a standard blackjack game relies almost purely on blind luck. However, being able to count cards confidently will help you avoid going bust.

Roulette is another sure bet if youre looking for favorable odds. The stripped-back premise of roulette makes it very attractive to new players, with a straightforward approach to betting. Many people assume that roulette is the only game that offers a 50/50 outcome. However, because the wheel includes at least one green tile, the house always maintains a slight advantage. For the best odds, keep it simple by betting on red or black. While the odds are favorable here, the payout will be marginal. For bigger prizes, target specific numbers.

Go here to see the original:

What Online Casino Games Offer the Best Odds of Winning? - Trending News Buzz