Hina: 73% of high schoolers have tried gambling in Croatia

Croatia may have overlooked how pervasive its gambling is with local media outlet Hina reporting that 73% of high schoolers have actually tried or participated in games of chance that are otherwise prohibited to individuals under 18.

The media has said that 20% of high schoolers are actually actively gambling, and that there are at least 50,000 problem gamblers in the country, with the severity of registered gambling-related harms and problems becoming more serious.

According to local sources, the biggest challenge for Croatia remains a lack of proper awareness campaigns that can help people understand the seriousness of the issue and how harmful gambling can be to young people. Social pedagogist Toni Maglica cautioned that gambling prevalence among youths is far more dangerous than gambling as a social phenomenon as a whole and described the situation as a "silent pandemic."

Maglitsa commented on the 20% of high schoolers who were betting frequently and cautioned that they were at risk of developing a deeper and unhealthy relationship with gambling as a whole. He has said that lawmakers and citizens ought to come together and raise awareness about the dangers of problem gambling.

Željka Radošević from the Gambling Addiction Treatment Facility in Split, Croatia’s second-largest city, said that family plays an important role in helping gambling addicts on their journey to recovery. Gambling treatment is usually administered with the help of hospitals, as many of the symptoms of gambling addiction also include anxiety and depression, as well as personality disorders that require specialized help.

Far more important, however, is for Croatia to identify how it has allowed so many high schoolers actually to experience gambling products. The statistics are telling of a fundamental flaw in gambling laws or administering said laws.

Bulgaria, another European country, has recently passed a comprehensive law that is looking to suspend gambling advertisements from print, media, and online sources, in a bid to protect consumers better. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom is looking to further enhance its ability to track problem gambling by introducing more demanding checks for operators and consumers.

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