Searchlights: The more money you hit, the more you step on. There has been a surge in cases of alternative gambling addiction

[US] More and more game centers are opened, and the number of cases of addiction to gambling due to indulging in prize games is on the rise. [TW] 遊戲中心愈開愈多，沉迷有獎遊戲而染上賭癮的個案卻上升。

The more the game center opens up, the more mobile game class money (payment) is also no king tube, indulge in award-winning games and become addicted to gambling cases are on the rise. Middle-aged men spend millions of dollars a day rainbow, clip dolls, can not extricate themselves from debt, and ultimately debt million bankruptcy. Underage girls mobile game gold addiction, non-stop to ask the father to buy points card pumping game equipment, accumulative spending of more than 10,000. Gambling authorities are concerned about the rise in the number of cases of alternative gambling addiction, with 70% of cases received in the first quarter of this year compared with the whole of last year, and Members of the Legislative Council have criticized the Government for sitting idly by.

"At most I tried to play with 10,000 mosquitoes in 1 day, and accumulated debts of more than one million. Two years ago, he broke the birth." The 50-year-old Ade (pseudonym) began to indulge in the rainbow, the silver machine and the folder 11 years ago. After playing games such as dolls, they couldn't extricate themselves. They gambled on their salaries and even borrowed money from financial companies through intermediaries, which led to high debts. Ade recalled that he was excited and devoted when playing games, and he could relieve his boredom. The rich prizes he won were piled up in the house, and he was even sold on stalls. Only the excessive investment caused him to be estranged from his family. Later, he got the help of a social worker to realize that he was addicted to gambling.

In recent years, there have been more and more dolly machine shops, but there are few reminders in the shops that people will become addicted to gambling when playing games. Another emerging "casino" is mobile games. "Playing with friends, constantly asking my dad to buy credit cards and draw equipment, because every time I draw, I don’t know that there are prizes." Wenwen, a minor, spends hours playing mobile games every day. She doesn’t. Thinks that he is addicted to playing games, but only through "class money" to upgrade equipment and level. Her father is a gambling person, and she asks her father for money from time to time in exchange for ideal equipment for mobile games, accumulating a total cost of about 20,000 Hong Kong dollars.

However, the money and time that Wenwen put in more and more affects her life and finances. Hu Shimin, acting director of the Peace Square of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, pointed out that the case is suspected of being addicted to gambling. Hu pointed out that the gambling addiction cases received by the center have been increasing in recent years. In 2017, there were only 4 cases, last year there were 13 cases, and there were 10 cases in the first quarter of this year. Half of the people owed more than 100,000 Hong Kong dollars in debt. The cases involving addiction to gaming centers are only sporadic, which is believed to be due to insufficient knowledge of addiction.

Legislative Council member Ko Chongsheng criticized the government for sitting idly by, saying that although games such as dolls and silver push machines can relieve players, they have become a hotbed of crime due to negligent supervision by the government. In order to prevent the gathered children or players from getting vices, the government should Strengthen the supervision of entertainment venues that provide games.

Spokespersons from the Home Affairs Bureau and the Home Affairs Department stated that the government regulates activities that have a gambling component through a license under the Gambling Ordinance, and whether the rainbow, the silver push machine, the dolly and the mobile games involve gambling, it is necessary to apply for it. The "rewarded entertainment game license" or other licenses under the "Gambling Ordinance" depend on whether the actual operation of individual games meets the interpretation of the Ordinance.

[TW]

探射燈：打機課金愈踩愈深　另類賭癮個案激增

遊戲中心愈開愈多，手機遊戲「課金」（付款）亦無王管，沉迷有獎遊戲而染上賭癮的個案卻上升。中年男子日花萬元掟彩虹、夾公仔，不能自拔致債台高築，最終負債百萬破產。未成年少女手機遊戲課金成癮，不停向父索錢買點數卡抽遊戲裝備，累積花費逾萬。戒賭機構關注「另類賭癮」個案上升，今年首季接獲個案是去年全年的70%，立法會議員批評政府坐視不理。

「最多試過1日使過萬蚊去玩，累積欠債過百萬，2年前仲破埋產。」50歲的阿德（化名）11年前開始沉迷掟彩虹、推銀機及夾公仔等遊戲，後來不能自拔，賭上薪金，更透過中介向財務公司借貸，導致債台高築。阿德憶述玩遊戲時感到興奮及投入，而且可解悶，贏得的豐富獎品堆滿屋，甚至擺檔變賣。惟過分的投入導致他與家人關係疏離，後來得社工協助始知自己染上賭癮。

近年夾公仔機店舖愈開愈多，惟店內甚少提醒人玩遊戲會染賭癮；另一新興「賭場」是手機遊戲。「同朋友打機，不停問爸爸攞錢買點數卡，要抽裝備，因為次次抽都唔知有咩獎品。」未成年的雯雯（化名）日花數小時玩手遊，她不認為自己屬打機成癮，只是透過「課金」提升裝備及等級。其父屬賭博人士，她不時向父親索錢課金換取手遊理想裝備，累積花費約2萬港元。

惟雯雯投放的金錢及時間愈來愈多，更影響生活及財政，東華三院平和坊署理主任胡詩敏指，個案疑已染上賭癮。胡指出，該中心接獲涉及打機的賭博成癮個案近年有上升趨勢，2017年只有4個，去年有13個，今年首季已有10個，有1半人欠債10萬港元以上。而涉及沉迷遊戲中心的個案則只有零星，相信因對成癮認識不足。

立法會議員柯創盛批評政府坐視不理，指夾公仔及推銀機等遊戲雖然能為玩家減壓，但卻因政府疏忽監管變為罪惡溫床，為免聚集的小童或玩家染上惡習，政府應加強監管提供遊戲的娛樂場所。

民政事務局及民政事務總署發言人表示，政府透過《賭博條例》下的牌照規管有博彩成分的活動，而掟彩虹、推銀機、夾公仔以及手機遊戲，是否涉及博彩而需要申領「有獎娛樂遊戲牌照」或《賭博條例》下的其他牌照，須視乎個別遊戲的實際運作情況是否符合條例釋義而定。