Donations or damage repair: Socially responsible business of gambling operators or the fight for better visibility?

Loss of control over gambling leads to the destruction of the individual, their social and family relationships, so it is questionable to what extent socially responsible donations from gambling organizers to state and local institutions mitigate the damage that is spreading systemically.

This was told to "Vijesti", among other things, by a sociologist Milena Jelic-Suntic and Director of the Accelerator for Social Change - Zid (ADP-Zid) Igor Milošević.

Although gambling organizers present themselves as community supporters and partners, the funds they donate to state and local institutions, they point out, send a confusing and contradictory message.

Donations to the public sector, warn the interlocutors of "Vijesti", must be public, but it should not be forgotten that the basic business or business model of betting and gambling establishments is "contributing to the promotion and spread of addiction, as well as the destruction of the lives of individuals and families."

The seriousness of the problem is also evidenced by data from the Institute of Public Health from 2020 - every third Montenegrin student, or every second boy, gambled for money.

When gambling for money, the largest percentage of them, as much as 75 percent, played in betting shops, i.e. bet on sports or animals.

The same research showed that even 35 percent of students had an excessive pattern of gambling, while problematic gambling was identified in eight percent of students.

The state has no data on the number of gambling addicts, nor a place where a young person with an addiction problem could be adequately treated.

Those who work with addicts point out that in the last few years they have registered a greater number of those seeking help and seeking treatment. They explained that the increase in the number of addicts was, among other things, due to the fact that gambling has become more accessible through online platforms.

The problem is further exacerbated by the fact, as previously told to "Vijesti" by the Ministry of Culture and Media, that legal restrictions on advertising games of chance "exist, that they are defined through several regulations, but that prescribing stricter restrictions when advertising games of chance is not provided for by international standards."

Caring for the community or buying reputation?

Jelić-Šuntić believes that socially responsible business is a desirable form of action for business entities.

The efforts of companies and business people, he explains, to contribute to the community, through sponsorship, donations, investments in culture, sports and education, builds trust in the eyes of the public.

"However, when this social responsibility is linked to a company activity that is directly linked to the development of addictive diseases, such as gambling, a kind of social contradiction arises. On the one hand, bookmakers strive to show 'care' for the community through donations, while on the other, their existence and spread contribute to the deepening and expansion of a socially pathological phenomenon," said Jelić-Šuntić.

He emphasizes that gambling “can have devastating consequences for the sociologically deviant population.” He adds that loss of control over gambling leads to rapid debt.

"... But also the destruction of family relationships, as well as criminal behavior. In that sense, donations from gambling organizers act more as an attempt to mitigate negative perceptions than as real concern for the community," said Jelić Šuntić.

Director of ADP-Zid and civic activist Igor Milošević, however, believes that donations from gambling organizers are a "very sensitive issue."

"If we are talking about the aspect of social responsibility, a donation or support can be directed towards a specific activity or service led by one of the community stakeholders, and in accordance with the social responsibility plan of a company or firm that has a developed program. The bearer of such an activity is usually someone at the local level. The implementer of these activities can be a local institution, organization, club, cultural center," said Milošević.

He pointed out that no one can forbid companies and businesses from "supporting a library with books," adding that the greater challenge for organizers is the credibility they enjoy in the community.

"... How are they perceived by the community and how much do such companies contribute to the community and/or work on their image through such actions. Very often, citizens perceive organizing games of chance as an activity as immoral. And this is where we come to the problem. A company that does not have a developed social responsibility plan very often knows how to send the wrong message with its actions. That the public perceives it as mockery and not as real support," he said.

They don't invest in addiction prevention

Mlošević emphasizes that citizens rightly wonder why organizers of games of chance are not being socially responsible and investing in addiction prevention training.

"... Why are they advertising on the jerseys of youth sports clubs, how do they contribute to citizens staying in the entertainment zone, why do some people drag them deeper into problems with their marketing tricks... Why do they finance quasi-influencers to drag teenagers into the world of gambling? Why, for example, do they not implement a self-exclusion system without conditions and for a longer period of time and/or why do they not show concern for the current situation in terms of the scale and problems that citizens have with gambling."

Milošević believes that it is up to the institutions to work on regulating this area and protecting citizens, adding that, nevertheless, there are those for whom "money and how to fill it are the main motive in their work."

He points out that the state is not acting responsibly towards its citizens, noting that "it is the first to be incapable of protecting them from the negative impacts of gambling and related problems."

"Incompetent, uncaring or disinterested. Why would such people have a problem accepting donations? Of course, we are not talking about ministries or local governments here, because they certainly should not be receiving donations from the economy."

Milošević emphasizes that donations to the public sector must be public, because if they are not, they may be grounds for suspicion of corruption and money laundering, or even extortion.

"Social responsibility is not just about donations, but about a company's active approach to solving challenges in the community. It's not about counting the seconds their activities are covered in the media. In order to achieve their mission, they need a plan, consultations with employees, and improving the treatment of their employees above the legal minimum. When we talk about organizers, this also includes taking care of their mental health. Especially those who are exposed to devices, terminals, and constant conversations between participants about odds and winning systems for eight hours a day," Milošević specified.