'Programme helped me'

A FEW YEARS ago, horse betting and casinos were popular forms of gambling, but that changed after the onset of Covid-19, said Merlin Rangasami, a recovering compulsive gambler.

- MONISHKA GOVENDER

The online gambling scene, he said, began to make strides.

“Even after the restrictions on travel and going to public spaces were lifted, people still felt it was easier to gamble on their cellphones.

“Online gambling therefore became dangerous because you could do it at any time, anywhere, and the person closest to you would not even know," added Rangasami.

“You could go to the bathroom and gamble your life savings away. In secret, people are gambling at their workplaces. You do not have to drive to a venue to take a bet. It is in the palm of your hand."

Rangasami is the chairperson of KwaZulu-Natal Gamblers Anonymous. He said a number of young people, many of them females, had joined the organisation to seek help.

He said gambling was socially acceptable in the Indian community.