During 2020, the Responsible Gaming Foundation did not lower itself in the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic in our country, but continued to strengthen its social work in favor of those who suffer from gambling addiction.
Against the background of the visit made by the Minister for the Economy and Industry Silvio Schembri , the Foundation stressed that it is continuing to strengthen its social function through the project ‘Take Action Against Gambling addiction in Malta ‘, under the guidance of the General Manager and Project Leader of the same Shawn Zammit Foundation.
A €1.1 million project has been partly funded by the European Social Fund.
Apart from the fact that through a national survey, covering 2018 and 2019, the focus has been more on the reality of gambling addiction in our country, the Foundation has made it its mission to provides training to different sectors of people who in one way or another make contact with people suffering from gambling addiction. Thus, as part of the second phase of the project, the online educational training program, specializing in key partners helping individuals suffering from ‘silent’ addiction, which does not show physical symptoms such as addictions of other drugs and alcohol.
In fact, following the training given to around 60 professionals within the Foundation for Social Welfare Services, the Foundation has completed training for 150 educators who can now offer up-to-date education, especially to our young people, regarding addiction. of gambling. Out of 630 participants, 580 people confirmed their attendance for the training by December 2020. Out of 151 training sessions, 110 were completed by the end of January this year. Research and training will be making the Responsible Gaming Foundation, through an awareness campaign, more of a service to those in need of its support during this year. confronting gambling addiction.
In addition, during 2020 the Foundation conducted educational talks with PSCD teachers and published several articles and features online on responsible games that affect parents, children, individuals and families as a precaution. This is while from March to June 2020, the Foundation was able to successfully continue to offer its 1777 helpline service remotely, where more men than women used this helpline for the first time. once since 2015, and where half of the phone calls were made by people who wanted support regarding gambling addiction.
Minister Schembri praised the work of the Foundation over the years which he saw as a point of contact for victims with the best tools needed. “Therefore we will see that in the future the work of the Foundation will be strengthened with more awareness through more educational campaigns, we will continue to strengthen research, we will offer alternatives to games and we will be a shoulder for all those who suffer from – the problem of gambling addiction in our country “, said Minister Schembri.
