Gambling to make ends-meet

Worried QwaQwa women are pleading with society to give their addicted gambling spouses, most of whom are ex-convicts, a chance to earn an honest living

“Behind every successful man, is a strong woman,” says the famous adage; and as South Africans continue to celebrate the strength and achievements of women this month, it is befitting to continue to highlight the role that women play in their families.

Although they are not physically strong like their male counterparts, women have since time immemorial been known to have a tranquilising effect on men and possess the uncanny ability to tame even the fiercest of warriors.

A classic example is the biblical Delilah who successfully figured out the one and only way to bring down the invincible Samson; shaving off his hair.

Well, there are many “Delilah’s” in QwaQwa who have figured out that the best way to help their ex-convict husbands, boyfriends and sons beat the gambling addiction.

“Our men need counselling. Gambling is like a disease and they need all the care and support we can give them, to quit. I know why my son has become a gambler. After giving up on ever finding a proper job, he resorted to wagering to put bread on the table. I do not like what he does,” said Matshediso Mofokeng.

Another woman who opted not to be named had this to say: “Because gambling is not the safest way to eke out a living, I sometimes fear that my boyfriend could get hurt in squabbles associated with the practice.

Much as his gambling has improved our lives for the better, I still maintain that he can use the other skills that he possesses to sustain us should he quit.”

But the gamblers, most of whom are ex-cons, are adamant that gambling is the only distraction to keep them out of trouble.
“Once bitten; twice shy.” These are the exact words of the ex-convicts who have resorted to gambling to make money without having a brush with the law.

This is just one of many ‘reasons’ that men in QwaQwa have for gambling. The other reasons range from fun, addiction to employability due to criminal records.

A visit to the major gambling spot, aptly nicknamed ‘Multi Casino’, at the Setsing Shopping Centre taxi rank revealed a lot of insightful information into the dilemma of gamblers.

One of the ardent gamblers, Tshepo Valentino Mosikidi (33), was sentenced to 18 years in jail for rape.

“I was released on parole in 2010 after spending 10 years of my sentence. I acquired many skills inside prison; given an opportunity I can show that I have repented. Unfortunately my criminal record remains an impediment in my job-hunting. I have no one to rely on for survival.

I have resorted to playing dice. At least I am not committing any crime, and I am able to make money to buy food.”
Mosikidi said as part of his rehabilitation, he has acquired numerous certificates in various skills such as plumbing, woodwork, HIV/Aids counselling and motivational speaking.

He sometimes gets invited to schools to educate learners about the consequences of crime and prison life.

“I learned my lesson in jail. I will never repeat the same mistakes that got me there. I always opt for dialogue and solutions rather than pick fights. Even here at Multi Casino, I always intervene whenever there is a tiff.”

According to Mosikidi, his fellow gamblers do engage in fights but one thing they do not do is steal.

There are some unsavoury characters, who occasionally join in the gambling as a diversion from their usual acts of stealing, mugging or robbing. Sadly, such imposters tend to be associated with the regular (clean) gamblers.

He emphasised that the bulk of the ‘Multi Casino’ gamblers are men who have served time and have no wish or intention to go back to the clink. They would not think twice about quitting gambling if they got jobs.

Mosikidi’s sentiments were echoed by another ex-con Botha Mofokeng, who served eight years for theft.

“I too have acquired several skills while in jail. After my release I would get part-time jobs in road construction projects but that did not last long as people still viewed me as a thief. If any equipment went missing or got misplaced, I would always become the number one suspect, so I quit. I feel more at home here among other ex-convicts; we understand and empathise with one another.”

Not all gamblers are unemployed, though. One of them, who requested anonymity, said he gambles to augment his salary which he said does not satisfy all his needs.

“I have joined gambling to make extra cash. With the money I raise here I am able to pay fees for my child who is a third year law student at the University of Free State. While my wife does not support my gambling, she does accept the money I make here.”

Another gambler, who started gambling after running out of funds to pay school fees for his child, said he had no intention of stopping.

“With the money I made from gambling I managed to pay my way through driving school where I obtained a Code 10 license. I also bought myself a car, so I do not see myself quitting any time soon. I am so addicted that even if I got a job I would still come here after hours.”

Problem gambling is often defined by whether harm is experienced by the gambler or others, rather than by the gambler’s behaviour.According to Wikipedia, gambling problem, or ludomania, is an urge to continuously gamble despite harmful negative consequences or a desire to stop.

Severe problem gambling may be diagnosed as clinical pathological gambling if the gambler meets certain criteria. Pathological gambling is a common disorder that is associated with both social and family costs.

The condition is classified as an impulse control disorder, with sufferers exhibiting many similarities to those who have substance addictions.

Although the term gambling addiction is used in the recovery movement, pathological gambling is considered by the American Psychiatric Society to be an impulse control disorder rather than an addiction.

SA GAMBLING STATISTICS

South Africa, under the leadership of the National Gambling Body (NGB), is setting the standard for research in the field of tracking gambling prevalence and related matters on the African continent.

Its on-going research programme is a ground breaking initiative for South Africa and on par with global best practice. South Africa is one of a few countries (e.g. United Kingdom and Australia) regularly tracking gambling incidence and the rate of problem gambling nationally.

The strength of our research is its ability to track some trends indicative of the gambling behaviours of South Africans and design interventions when anomalies prevail. Our recent public awareness and education campaign emphasised that communities, and in particular those who gamble, must not be careless when using hard earned money.

The average rate of problem gambling amongst South Africans over a four-survey period (from April 11 to November 12) is 1.9 percent.

This is below the global average. The latest data, however, indicates increasing levels of problem gambling over the last 2 survey periods (at 2.7 percent in April 12 and 2.9 percent in November 12).

A notable shift within the gambling population indicates a steady shift from the No Risk segment into the segments with low and moderate risk. It appears that a small percentage of regular gamblers experienced increased stress levels than before and therefore fall into the risk or problem gambling category.

It can only be postulated that competing financial needs and the increasing cost of living is impacting negatively on disposable cash, creating a more stressed environment for gamblers.

Globally the standardised rate of problem gambling ranges from 0.5 percent to 7.6 percent, with the average rate across surveying countries being 2.3 percent.

This might differ depending on the measure of problem gambling used.

The NGB applies the Canadian Problem Gambling Index (CPGI) as its standardised measure for tracking the rate of problem gambling in South Africa.

The CPGI was developed by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse. This instrument measures the prevalence of gambling and problem gambling in the general population, and provides a more complete view of gambling compared to other instruments.

The CPGI is used in many countries (most notably the UK and Australia) to measure problem gambling at a national level.

Incidence of gambling showed a continuous downward trend over the last 3 surveys. The 6-monthly tracking surveys revealed that 14.3 percent of adults (18 years and older) gambled in November 2012.

The corresponding figure in November 2011 was 24.1 percent. Gambling decreased by 40.6 percent between November 2011 (24.1 percent) and November 2012 (14.3 percent).

This downward trend in gambling incidence is statistically significant.

At 14.3 percent, the South African gambling population is much smaller than those in the United Kingdom (73 percent in 2010) and Australia (70 percent in 2009).

Source: National Gambling Board: Research Bulletin 2012 Issue Two