Aleksej (real name known to the editorial staff) had his first encounter with gambling in the seventh grade of primary school. He was exposed to peer violence, so he often ran away from classes. To the casino, near the school.
"There, I felt like I belonged somewhere and no one bothered me," he tells za Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN-CG).
He started with roulette. He liked that party.
"I used to earn a little money," he recalls.
When he turned 18, he started gambling intensively. At first, he paid for tickets at betting shops, played so-called butterflies and fruitballs at apartments, and also bet online.
Butterfly and fruit games are very popular on slot machines. There are them in casinos, slot clubs, cafes that offer this type of entertainment, but also online. Slot machines are devices into which coins from 50 cents to two euros are inserted. There are also free versions of these games, to get players hooked on learning the rules.
After his father passed away, Alexey began betting larger sums of money.
"I paid tickets, sometimes more than 50 euros. My father's departure was probably the trigger. I felt very lonely, I was tormented by many things that I could not tell others. However, the belief that I would be able to make some profit and escape from reality was a delusion," he says with a sigh.
Today, Aleksej is 34 years old and is one of the beneficiaries of the rehabilitation program at the Public Institution (JU) Kakaricka Gora.
The European Center for Monitoring Drugs and Drug Addiction (ESPAD) from 2019 included youth aged 15 to 16 from 35 countries. The highest rate of students with gambling experience is in Greece and Cyprus (33 percent), followed immediately by Montenegro (32 percent), while the highest percentage of adolescents who bet online is in Cyprus and Kosovo (16 percent). On this basis, Montenegro is also in third place, with 13 percent, but it is in first place in Europe in terms of the number of students who gamble excessively - as many as 35 percent of them.
Games of chance right next to schools, despite the law
The Montenegrin Law on Games of Chance stipulates that facilities with games of chance must be at least 250 meters away from primary and secondary schools, however, this is not respected in practice.
The CIN-CG journalist visited the area around four primary and two secondary schools in Podgorica. However, the facilities for games of chance were far away, not 250 meters, but only 250 steps from those schools. The most striking example is the elementary school "Milorad Musa Burzan" - within a radius of 250 steps there are as many as six different facilities with games of chance.
In Montenegro, no one has ever been punished for having a facility where games of chance are held in the vicinity of a school, which is not permitted by law. Also, there was no recorded case where a request for a concession to organizers of games of chance was rejected due to improper distance. The inspection for games of chance is not competent to measure the distance of these facilities from schools during the inspection. Namely, they imply that the condition of the necessary distance from the school is met if a concession for games of chance is granted.
The Gaming Authority, which distributes the concessions, is not, however, responsible for controlling the distance from schools. The management does not even know how to measure the distance - by the air or by the ground; from the front door of the school or the yard fence...
"Organizers of games of chance are obliged to submit a confirmation of the distance of the facility in which the games of chance will be held from educational institutions, in addition to the necessary documentation provided for in the Law on Games of Chance, along with the Request for Concession," they told CIN-CG from the Administration.
The confirmation of the distance is the responsibility of the geodetic agencies that have a license and are contacted by the potential organizer of games of chance. The law, however, does not define the method of measuring the minimum distance of facilities for games of chance from schools, so there remains a wider space for interpretation.
The existing inaccuracies and illogicalities, whether due to the legal framework or its interpretation in practice, complicate the already complex situation on the games of chance market even more, according to the Report on the work of the Directorate for Inspection Affairs for the year 2022.
"This contributes to the confusion that reigns in this legal area, so years of experience point to the conclusion that along with the new legal framework, reform of the system - the institutional framework for organizing and controlling the organization of games of chance - is badly needed. It is expected that the new law will respond to the observed problems ", the Report points out.
Principal of Elementary School "Milorad Musa Burzan" Milica Vuković told CIN-CG that their work is limited to working in the school space and time, so they cannot know what the children do outside of school and after classes.
When they finish their classes, casinos, slot machines, betting shops and similar facilities are already waiting for the students at the exit.
CIN-CG photographed and counted advertisements on billboards around Podgorica. At the end of May, there were as many as five billboards advertising games of chance on a stretch of 500 meters in Kralja Nikola Street, from the Clock Tower to the Hilton Hotel. Almost all bus stops in the city have such advertisements, and some buses are mobile advertisements for games of chance.
The problem is that advertisers do not highlight the risks of gambling, as is the practice in most European countries. On the contrary, they spread positive messages here: "You can't escape happiness"; "Spin and win every day, 9.000 euros per month"; "Play the ticket and win"; "You are my jackpot"; "Pay a deposit, win up to 10.000 euros"...
In addition to such misleading messages, these advertisements often do not even have a no-minors sign.
The number of pathological gamblers seeking help has increased tenfold
Aleksei, after years with the cube, says that it happened to him that 13- or 14-year-old children begged him to pay for their ticket. He has seen many times that young people ask an adult, friend or brother, to do it for them.
"It's especially dangerous when elders send their children to pay for tickets, which is not uncommon, because that's how it starts," he explains.
Social worker Aida Kerovic, who works at JU Kakaricka gora, says that the number of residents who seek help due to pathological gambling is increasing.
"The number of clients with serious gambling problems has increased in the last eight years. Previously, that number of total users was two percent, and today it is around 20 percent," she says.
Greater awareness of this scourge also contributes to the increase in the number of people treated for this addiction. The fact is that more and more addicts and their families recognize this problem, the key cause of which is precisely the availability of games of chance.
Only adult citizens of Montenegro can come to the Kakaricka gora Medical Center for addiction treatment. However, this institution is often approached for help with minors.
"We refer minors to the Center for Mental Health, where there is a psycho-social support service," says Kerović.
"That's the only thing we can do. Otherwise, at that age it's hard to determine whether it's just problematic behavior or pathology," she explains.
Psychiatrist Branka Purlija from the Center for Mental Health tells CIN-CG that minors most often present because of problems that are often a consequence of their lifestyle, with psychological problems such as anxiety and suicidal thoughts.
"The youngest person who was found to have a gambling problem came forward because of peer violence. That person was only 16 years old," Purlija points out.
Minors who turn to the Center for help with excessive gambling problems usually place bets and play poker online. As they do not appear with explicit problems related to gambling, through further work it is revealed that this is often the cause of anxiety and other psychological problems, explains Purlija.
She states that gambling in Montenegro is still insufficiently treated as a social problem.
"It is rare that addicts turn directly for help," says the psycho woman Maja Lešnjak for CIN-CG.
Lešnjak works at the Entera Counseling Office, which is part of the NGO Zid, offering a service for psychological help and support for people with gambling problems and their family members.
Young people most often bet online on sports races, dog races, then on raffle and slot machines, Lješnjak points out.
"Recently, the age limit when they start gambling has been lowered. On average, children aged seven or eight come into contact with gambling for the first time," says Lješnjak.
Almost every fifth pathological gambler has attempted suicide
There are three types of gambling, says Aida Kerović. The first refers to so-called social-recreational gambling - when a person gambles in society, with certain, usually smaller sums of money. This first degree does not generally have any serious consequences, it is more of a form of entertainment. Most people gamble that way.
Another type of gambling is problem gambling, then the player creates certain problems in different spheres of life - in partner relationships, finances, with the law, but not to a large extent. At that stage gambling is a problem and the person is on the verge of developing pathology.
The third type of gambling is pathological gambling and it is a disease accompanied by different feelings - the tension and excitement that a person has while gambling, and the feeling of satisfaction and relief while doing it. In the classification of medical diseases, explains Kerović, pathological gambling has a special diagnosis in an impulse control disorder, such as kleptomania.
"First of all, a person is preoccupied with gambling, he gambles and gradually invests more and more money. It is like when a person addicted to psychoactive substances needs to take more drugs. So someone who is addicted to gambling needs more and more money to gamble. In these cases, the appearance of restlessness and irritability is noticed," she warns of the symptoms of pathological gambling.
The consequences, the psychotherapist points out, are divided into several categories. A person often borrows money, and the loans are getting bigger and bigger. There is a loss of social status and the financial situation is threatened, regardless of the earnings she was making before she began to gamble pathologically. Interest in other activities is also lost.
Aida Kerović also says that pathological gamblers are usually left without friends, and their families become dysfunctional.
"We often have clients who are divorced and don't live with children, lost their jobs, and the family took a long time to repay their debts," she explains, adding that these are often signs that a person is suffering from pathological gambling.
She warns that violence is often present in such cases.
"During periods of irritability, when people do not have access to money to gamble, they may resort to domestic violence. Pathological gamblers often suffer from clinical depression."
Psychiatrist Elvira Kojic in the research "Problematic and pathological gambling" says that gamblers have an increased risk of suicide. Between 48 and 70 percent of pathological gamblers think about suicide, and 13 to 20 percent of those treated for pathological gambling have attempted suicide.
"When I gambled 13.500 euros in ten days, I said to myself: You are sick!"
Aleksej says that at one point his salary was no longer enough to gamble, so he took out more loans.
"I had some 13.500 euros in my account and I gambled it away in 10 days. When I received a message from the bank that the account was zero, I said to myself, I remember it like it was yesterday - you are sick."
Alexei said many times this is the last time, never again. And he would always come back to the cube.
"When I first arrived here for treatment, I still didn't accept that I was an addict. But, now I see, when I compare myself then and now - they are two different worlds," he says calmly.
Between those worlds, there is a long way. A long time passed from the moment he became aware of the problem to the recognition.
"When I incurred a debt of 11 thousand euros, which I had to pay back within a month, all the doors around me were closed. That's when I confided in my mother, I broke into 100 pieces and confessed everything," he recalls.
That first recognition happened when he no longer had anything to hold on to.
"At that time, my mother helped me with my debts with the help of my relatives, but soon after that I ran into a problem again. The same situation once again. It is not so easy for a person to admit that he has problems..., that he is sick... I myself am also manipulated. I was saying that I have an addictive personality, and when you say you're an addict, you kind of stick it to yourself. I didn't want it as a label forever," says Aleksey with a smile, but also with a cramp that only people who have suffered a lot have.
"Since I've been sane when I see a betting ad - I feel disgust".
The social worker at JU Kakaricka gora points out that it is very important how advertisements for games of chance look.
"There is a serious exchange of theses here because gambling is glorified as a way of life. Placing advertisements with positive messages, in which winning is the only option, is the opposite of reality and the consequences that such a way of life can have," she warns.
The medical treatment at JU Kakaricka gora lasts for one year. When the treatment is over, the user comes out of isolation. This transition is a delicate period during which a person should avoid anything associated with gambling. During the transition period, which lasts for another year, users can come to JU Kakaricka gora whenever they feel the need for support or counseling.
Aleksey soon comes out of isolation. Comment on the images of the advertisements.
"Now, when I see them from this perspective, and with a clear mind, I feel disgusted. I remember my conditions, which were really dark. I also had suicidal thoughts".
And he warns that Montenegrin society is promoting, and even glorifying, the wrong way of life. There are also famous artists that we see every day advertising games of chance.
"I believe that there are many guys and girls out there who are suffering and going through what I am going through. I would be happy if they read about my experience and decide to admit that they are powerless in front of their illness and turn to someone for help," Alexey concludes.
It would be good if those who decide on legal solutions and implementation hear his story in Montenegro. The availability of gambling has already ruined many young lives.
Inspectors cannot even punish the owners of illegal betting shops if they are not caught in the act
In the Report on the work of the Directorate for Inspection Affairs for the year 2022, it is written that in that year there were officially 1.079 establishments in Montenegro where games of chance are organized.
The inspection for games of chance performed 555 controls last year, which is about 51 percent of the total number of establishments. In the same year in Italy, inspection controls were carried out in only 20 percent of facilities that organize games of chance.
However, while the report from 2022 found 32 irregularities in Montenegro (only 5,7 percent of cases out of the total number of controls) - in Italy that number is even 30 percent.
In the assessment of the situation and the proposal of measures in this report of the Montenegrin Administration for Inspection Affairs, it is recognized that it is necessary to change the legal solutions in order to make the control more effective.
"The new Law on Games of Chance has not yet been adopted, and the fact is that the lack of a valid law and corresponding by-laws is a limiting factor for more effective inspection supervision," the report points out.
The Gambling Inspectorate cites specific examples of weak control mechanisms.
"The fact that a device is present in a certain area (a device on which games of chance can be arranged) - does not constitute a violation even though there is no consent of the competent authority for that device, because the Law on Games of Chance only sanctions the organization of games of chance without concessions. This means that, if at the time of inspection the device is not in operation, or even when it is in operation, but it is not possible to prove that games of chance have been arranged on it, the inspector cannot take measures against the organizer, even though that entity does not have a concession for these devices. ”
Even in the case of online games of chance without the consent of the competent authority, the Inspection cannot take misdemeanor measures, because the Law on Games of Chance does not prescribe it as a misdemeanor.
In the report on the work of the Inspection for Games of Chance, it is also written that of the 32 irregularities found, the largest number relate to operation without concessions, the excess of machines for games of chance in regular machine clubs and the participation of minors.
In England, Italy, Monte Carlo restrictions, in Montenegro everything is allowed
When it comes to games of chance, countries can be divided into three categories - those that have banned games of chance, in which the system is semi-liberal, and those that have liberalized games of chance.
Montenegro is in this third category. However, liberalization does not mean that there are no clear laws and rules.
The sector of games of chance represents a type of entertainment, encourages tourism, creates jobs and brings income to the state. But it is also important to protect the public interest - such as protecting the population from addiction. In a country where gambling tourism is active, such as Montenegro, there is an additional responsibility to protect young people.
European standards from the recommendations of the European Commission from 2014 foresee specific ways of advertising games of chance.
Advertisements should not make unsubstantiated claims about winning opportunities, nor should they be portrayed as socially appealing and contain celebrity testimonials suggesting that gaming contributes to social success. It should also not be claimed that games of chance can solve social, professional or private problems. It is especially dangerous to suggest that gambling can be an alternative to work, a solution to financial problems or a form of investment.
States should ensure that risks are taken into account in advertising. The inscription "forbidden playing for minors" should be on every advertisement. This also applies to advertising free games.
It is often said in the advertising of gambling tourism for Montenegro that Montenegro is the Monte Carlo of the Balkans. But in Monte Carlo, citizens of that country cannot enter the casino and gambling advertisements are prohibited.
In Italy, since 2018, the advertising of games of chance has been abolished. That change in the law was introduced precisely because of the increase in pathological gamblers.
Advertisements which depict, condone or encourage gambling behavior which is socially irresponsible or which may lead to financial, social or emotional harm are prohibited in England.
On English streets, billboards warn of the risks of gambling:
"Gambling tied me in a knot until I talked to someone."
"I couldn't focus on anything but gambling until I spoke."
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