Inside Asian Gaming

IAG JUN 2019年6月 亞博匯 74 FEATURES P roblem gambling is a shared concern cross all spectrums of the gaming industry. Government and operators lead the way to minimize its impact on society by setting up laws, institutions, policies and actions, but the effectiveness of those measures is conditioned by one element of the equation that started to raise awareness recently: the concept of stigma. Stigma is a term originating in ancient Greece where certain people – often criminals but also slaves – would be physically branded with burning metal on visible areas of the body so they would immediately be recognized by others. In modern times, the expression refers to how we view those suffering the effects of addiction, mental health issues, problem gambling or other signficant issues impacting society. “It's an invisible mark but one we still apply with our judgments,” says Mina Hazar, Bilingual Provincial Director of the Youth Gambling Awareness Program at the YMCA of Greater Toronto. According to Hazar, such stigma “leads to discrimination and these people are denied their basic human rights such as employment and housing. And the other problem is they are already isolated, they’re already suffering alone.” This feeling of alienation acts as a powerful obstacle that prevents them from facing their issues, with Hazar describing it as “the number one barrier for seeking help when it comes to problem gambling.” The YMCA of Greater Toronto aims to end such isolation, both in Canada and internationally, by raising awareness of problem gambling and the stigma that so often comes with it. “We focus on what we can do to reduce stigma,” she says, explaining that the process involves “changing the language that we use describing the situation and then changing people’s attitudes, which then leads to changing people’s behaviors.” The approach to problem gambling and stigma is to consider those affected to be suffering from mental illness, with their behavior a symptom. “It affects the brain the very same way that drugs or alcohol does,” says Hazar. “In order to change behaviors we have to be kind, we have to ask questions. You have to learn more about the person and know if the person is having problems – maybe there are deeper root causes.” 問 題賭博是整個娛樂行業不同範疇都共同關注的 一個問題。 政府和經營者如帶頭通過制定法規、 制度、政策和行動，將把問題賭博對社會的影響 降到最低。但這些措施的有效性取決於最近開始 引起人們注意的一個因素：偏見烙印 (Stigma) 的概念。 「Stigma」是一個來自古希臘的古老術語。從前某部份的人 -- 一般是罪犯和奴隸，會以燒紅的金屬，在身上可見的部位烙上印記， 以便辨認身份。 在現代，這個詞則用以表達我們如何看待那些受毒癮、心理健 康問題、賭博問題或其他對社會有著重大問題影響的人。 大多倫多基督教青年會 (YMCA) 雙語省級別青少年賭博意識項 目主管Mina Hazar表示：「這是一個看不見的印記，但我們仍然會用 它來判斷。」 根據Hazar，這種偏見烙印「導致歧視，這些人被剝奪了他們的 基本人權：就業、住房。另一問題是他們已經被孤立了，他們已然在 獨自承受痛苦。」 這種孤立感是阻礙他們面對問題的一個強大障礙，Hazar將之 描述為「尋找問題賭博解決方案的一大障礙。」 大多倫多YMAC的目標是通過提升人們對問題賭博的認識，以 及如影隨形的偏見，結束這種在加拿大和國際上因偏見而產生的孤 立狀態。 「我們關注的是我們能做些什麼來減少偏見。」她說道，這個過 程包括「改變我們用來描述情況的言語，然後改變人們的態度，進而 改變人們的行為。」 解決問題賭博和偏見的方法是把那些受影響的人視為精神病 患者，把他們的行為視為一種症狀。 「它對大腦的影響就像毒品和酒精一樣。」Hazar說道。「為了改 變行為，我們必須抱有友善的態度、多作提問。你必須更深入了解這 個人，知道他是否遇上任何問題，也許有更深層的問題根源。」