Rome Gambling Survey

Analysis of the data of the Rome Gambling Survey, our orientation research on gambling within the foreign population in the Municipality of Rome.

Psy + Onlus in collaboration with the Orthos project carried out a preliminary investigation aimed at exploring the phenomenon of gambling in the foreign population living in the territory of Rome.

In recent years, the opportunities for gambling have multiplied and branched across the territory, differentiating and pervading every social space. In recent times numerous Las Vegas-style game rooms have flourished which in terms of turnover and social damage have nothing to envy to the real casinos. We are constantly witnessing the opening of small spaces dedicated to gaming, in particular to slot machines, which occupy the space left empty by commercial or artisan businesses forced to close due to the crisis. A crisis that is often exacerbated by the illusion of being able to face it by relying on chance, luck. And 'so that hundreds of thousands of citizens, Italian and foreign, "invest" the little money they have in the hope of multiplying it, thanks to a pounding publicity by dealers and state monopolies. If it is true that advertising is often accompanied by the indication "responsible play" and that the message of prohibition against gambling is periodically spread for those under the age of 18, it is also true that the continuous promotion of the game is guilty of light of the daily dramas that afflict the news forcing those affected to clog the lines of aid services (often not financed by the state).

In Italy we have more than 400 thousand slot machines, a much higher density than any other European country. The per capita expenditure of the residents is close to 2 thousand euros per year. More than 800 thousand people play in a problematic way, with an "induced" social cost that extends far beyond the families directly involved.

The first necessary step is therefore to investigate the phenomenon, in all its manifestations and in all the contexts in which it occurs. Psy + Onlus on the basis of his particular sensitivity he chose to start from the exploration of the phenomenon among the immigrant population, with the aim of carrying out a preliminary survey which will eventually be followed by more in-depth investigations both on the immigration / gambling theme and on the woman / gambling theme , issues on which we do not have certain data but numerous clinical reports that predict a considerable extension of this form of addiction.

The survey was structured in the form of a questionnaire developed on the basis of the CAMH Gambling Screen - developed by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health of Toronto (Canada). Self-administered questionnaires were therefore proposed to the target population in the presence of a Psy + operator. The questionnaires were collected in places of aggregation, associations, bodies and organizations characterized by nationality and / or cultural interests, as well as in transit places such as large metropolitan and railway stations.

Preliminary data will be used to develop further research on the topic, hardly addressed in the sector literature.

"Don't Danger" Committee

Non Azzardiamoci is a network of associations (Presidium of Libera “Francesco Borrelli”, Italian Red Cross - Roma 4 Committee, SlotMob, ConUnGioco Onlus, PSY + Onlus and Focolare Movement) which, while each dealing with distinct issues related to gambling based to their skills, have decided to collaborate to tackle in a united way an increasingly serious and widespread problem that affects not only the "pathological player", but all citizens, in particular, precisely in areas such as Tiburtina, in to which there is a disproportionate offer of gambling, with a very high concentration of mini-casinos or commercial activities that offer customers and passers-by the possibility of gambling: in this way they decrease the "healthy" exercises in the roads, relationships deteriorate, desperation is generated and organized crime, usury and illegality proliferate with it.
The Non Azzardiamoci project intends to inform and sensitize citizens about the rampant phenomenon of gambling and related diseases. Through the organization of diversified actions in the IV Municipality, we aim to stimulate public discussion of the phenomenon and create an alternative counterculture, as well as to support any action to combat gambling implemented by local administrations and by citizens and associations , also through urban spaces that become an alternative to gambling.
In addition to organizing SlotMob in the area, Non Azzardiamoci has pursued the idea of ​​a collective path to prevent gambling addiction. This mobilization, which involved the representatives of all the participating associations, produced the first days of intervention in two Roman schools, the Liceo Scientifico Croce, in via Bardanzellu 7 and the Professional Institute for Social and Health Services Sibilla Aleramo di via Sommovigo 40. It dealt with the development of a "game education" laboratory, to sensitize the kids on this issue and to start a gambling prevention and contrast activity, involving them in mapping the territory, creating together with them the list of bars that do not offer games of chance, with the establishment of an institutional list of virtuous bars and the delivery of a "reward" advertising brand.
Another goal we set ourselves is to raise awareness and build alternatives to gambling: the playful, cultural and social realities of the area are certainly valid alternatives. For this reason, it may be important to create an open game library with the support of local associations to give children and the elderly above all an alternative to playing and create an opportunity for socialization and intergenerational culture that contrasts the spread of the gaming rooms.
Finally, we would like to start a dialogue relationship with municipal and municipal institutions to understand together how to intervene to combat gambling, proposing some interventions and providing support in the development of a municipal regulation that can limit the spread of the game of gambling. 'gamble.

LIG-Lazio in Game Project

Psy + Onlus participates, in partnership with Coop. Soc. Parsec, Auser Association and Coop. Soc. Il Cammino, to the project to prevent risks deriving from pathological gambling financed by the Lazio Region called LIG - Lazioingioco.

The Lazio Region has provided, with the Regional Law of 5 August 2013, a set of interventions to combat, prevent and reduce the risk of addiction to GAP (Pathological Gambling), in particular the creation of information desks and the creation of a regional listening center to support people and families who are unable to resist the urge to play and whose behavior compromises personal, family and work relationships.

LIG - LazioInGioco intends to put in place a set of interventions (mapping of services; training and supervision; vademecum of the counter operator) to support the creation of the information and listening desks provided by the Department of Social Policies, which will instead have the following tasks:

- welcome people affected by GAP in search of help and their family members to direct them to social and health services in the area;

- involve social and institutional entities sensitive to the issue and already active in the area.

The project is managed by a temporary business association made up of Coop. Soc. Parsec, the Coop. Soc. Il Cammino, the Psy + Onlus association and the AUSER association.

The grouping as a whole responds to the complexity of the project which must provide specific expertise on pathological gambling, but also a capillary capacity for territorial involvement and an experience in the planning and design of interventions and social communication.

The whole process will be supervised by a Scientific Committee and will make use of a large network of local and national partners.

For info: www.lazioingioco.it

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