Excessive gambling is becoming a growing public health problem in Croatia, affecting both the individual and society, a conference on the socially responsible organisation of games of chance was told on Tuesday.

“There is a large increase in addiction to games of chance and betting. On the one hand, this is a consequence of the fact that we are bombarded with various commercials that have no restrictions and everybody watches them, including children,” said the director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ), Krunoslav Capak, highlighting the commercials on television and posters around the city.

He said  that during the COVID-19 pandemic people were at home more and “turned to television and a sedentary lifestyle, betting and games of chance.”

“The fact that it can be done online makes it possible for people to do it in the intimacy of their home without being seen, which increases the incidence of this addiction,” he noted.

A survey shows that in Croatia, between 50,000 and 100,000 citizens have serious symptoms of gambling addiction, and it is estimated that up to half a million Croatians are directly or indirectly affected by problems related to gambling addiction.

A total of 13 per cent of young people are at risk, and they mostly use bookmakers, slot machines, casinos, lottery, bingo, and online gambling.

Men are at greater risk, notably those in smaller and medium-sized cities. The fact that every third person knows someone who is in trouble because of gambling is especially worrying.

That’s why the Health Ministry’s national strategy on addiction until 2030 was adopted in February, expanding its traditional focus on drug addiction to include behavioural addictions such as smoking and Internet and gambling addiction, Capak said.

Two action plans are being developed and will include preventive measures and treatments for those affected.

Speaking of the socially responsible organisation of games of chance, HZJZ assistant director Zeljko Petkovic said that it is necessary to enforce the legal provisions prohibiting minors from betting.

Restrictions on promotion should also be considered in order to protect minors and vulnerable groups, and the organisers of games of chance, lawmakers and the health system should be brought together.

Sandra Papez, head of the Department for Games of Chance at the Tax Administration of the Ministry of Finance, said that they are already working, in cooperation with the HZJZ, to achieve these goals, adding that a balanced approach should be taken in regulating this activity.

She said that a significant part of the European Commission’s recommendations on principles for the protection of consumers and players of online gambling services and for the prevention of minors from gambling online have already been incorporated in the legislative framework.