Encouraging news are coming from Germany, where the latest research shows a decline in a number of problem gambling issues.
The numbers were released last week, as a part of a thorough Drug and Addiction Report 2017 that saw some 11,500 people give their answers to carefully selected questions.
Excellent Numbers
A total of 11,500 participants took part in the survey, while 37.3% of them indicated participation in one or more forms of gambling during the period of twelve months prior to the survey.
This number indicates a 2.9% decline when compared to the results of the 2013 report when 40.2% of the respondents made the same answers. If we compare these figures to a similar survey conducted in 2007, we'll see a staggering decline of 55%.
The respondents were asked a series of questions in order to access if they met the qualification as problem gamblers. The further analysis of the study grouped the respondents into identified gamblers those with severe gambling problems.
The recent numbers show a decline in both these categories when compared to 2013, which also represents the spine in problem gambling. This statistical trend in Germany is completely different compared to another large European gambling market – the United Kingdom, where problem gambling is on a slight rise.
Comparison to the UK
The United Kingdom is very important when estimating this kind of data, since along with Germany represents the two leading European economies, at least in terms of volume.
In addition to this, the UK is the culture where gambling is not as frowned upon as in some other parts of the Continent, while publicly admitting to personal problems and issues could be more stigmatizing.
To summarize, a jump in problem gambling rates in the UK might be a good thing, since it indicates the system is protecting vulnerable people from gambling. Admitting is often the first step towards the recovery.
In Germany, the early programs detecting problem gamblers seem to be very efficient. Bear in mind this doesn't mean such measures aren't efficient in the UK, but simply the target population is on the rise.
Let's face it: identifying problem gamblers is a challenging process, which differs from country to country.
