In 2023, under the auspices of the Ministry of Health, the first national study of gambling addiction was conducted in Ukraine.
On October 3, 2023, the Ukrinform agency hosted a round table on the topic “Provision of social services in Ukraine for people with a risk of gambling addiction» with the participation of government institutions, business and the public.
The event was organized by the State Council “Center for Responsible Gaming” together with the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine. Among the participants are experts from the National Social Service of Ukraine, KRAIL, the Institute of Forensic Psychiatry of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, as well as representatives of the gambling business and specialists in preventing and combating gambling addiction.
The main topic was development in Ukraine of a comprehensive system for preventing gambling addictionits treatment, as well as rehabilitation and provision of social services to people with gambling addiction.
The participants of the round agreed that an effective and efficient system for preventing and combating gambling addiction should include not only medical assistance to citizens already suffering from gambling addiction, but also social support for people at risk, as well as those in need of social readaptation after treatment.
According to the head of the Center for Responsible Gaming, Olga Isaeva, in 2023, under the auspices of the Ministry of Health, the first national study of gambling addiction was conducted in Ukraine. Its results highlighted a number of problems in this area, in particular the issue of effectively identifying individuals who need professional help due to the presence of gambling addiction or who are on the verge of developing it.
That is why the Center for Responsible Gaming, together with the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, decided to launch a project to introduce a system of providing social services to people with gambling addiction in our state. The main sponsor of the project will be the FAVBET company, which previously also supported the research and was the first among industry companies to provide specialists with the opportunity to conduct research in their institutions.
The first step towards the emergence in Ukraine of a network of social services for people with gambling addiction will be the development of a state standard for social services “Social and psychological rehabilitation of people with gambling addiction,” which will include counseling, psychological assistance, legal assistance, representation of interests and social support.
Representatives of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine emphasized that this standard should be uniform for all providers of social services, and all target groups should be involved in its creation – not only providers, but also recipients of social services.
KRAIL member Kristina Dutka drew attention to the fact that government policy in this area should be based on three pillars. The first is educational work, explaining to players that gambling is a leisure activity and not a way to make money. The second is providing medical care to those caught in the trap of addiction. Finally, the third pillar is social rehabilitation services for people who have overcome addiction and are seeking to return to normal social life.
Representative of the main philanthropist of the project, FAVBET company Ksenia Tyurikova noted that it is now important for Ukraine to work with the problem of gambling addiction, because the country’s legal gambling market is at the stage of development and should be formed based on the needs of the safety and comfort of players.
That is why FAVBET supports the creation in Ukraine of a comprehensive and effective national gambling addiction prevention system, which will help prevent gambling addiction and work with problem gamblers. The emergence of such a system will be an excellent example of effective interaction between the state, the public and socially responsible businesses acting in the interests of society.
Source: Sportarena
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