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CARRY OFF: Holding a fist next to his head like a soldier, Huang Chunhao makes a solemn vow.
“I hereby take an oath: From now on, I will correct bad habits, be kind to others, and do my best to get rid of my gambling addiction.”
Gambling was banned in mainland China along with other activities deemed vices by the Communist Party when it took office in 1949, but it is making a comeback via websites and apps targeting Chinese and overseas-based customers.
One of them, based in the Philippines, dragged Huang into what his wife Zhao Jing called a “bottomless pit” of compulsive gambling that left them more than two million yuan (RM1.22 thousand) poorer.
“It will always be a losing game and it has destroyed my family,” said Huang, a 32-year-old vegetable wholesaler.
Si Guoqi, a former hair salon owner and self-proclaimed gambling expert, helps him out of this hole and now operates a rehabilitation center in Shanghai.
Established in 2017, it has been billed as the country’s first rehab dedicated exclusively to gambling addiction.
During the center’s standard one-week program, participants are given an old mobile phone without internet access to prevent them from registering and placing bets.
Treatment is a combination of behind-the-scenes education on how gambling is organized to ensure “the house always wins”, psychological treatment, and tips on lifestyle changes to promote healthy routines and keep your mind off gambling.
‘You can not escape’
Si’s own family was almost devastated by his wife’s compulsive Chinese game of mahjong, and he used to sell equipment for playing mahjong.
He calls online gambling a “virus”.
“If you activate your greed, you cannot escape,” he said.
With the growth of Internet access and mobile communications in China, an increasing number of operators are looking to take advantage of Chinese-language gaming platforms, according to official data.
Online gambling options abound, offering everything from baccarat to blackjack to sports betting.
If you estimate that 70% of these operators install servers in the Philippines.
In the first half of 2020, Chinese police arrested more than 250 cases of cross-border gambling and arrested more than 11,500 suspects, according to state media.
Gambling was big business in China in pre-communist times, and there are signs of growing official unrest over the possibility of its return.
The central government even plans to impose restrictions on Chinese citizens traveling to overseas tourist destinations where gambling abounds, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Aug. 26.
‘I can’t be lazy’
Online platforms sometimes lure unwitting victims with gimmicks: Huang clicked on a pop-up ad from a part-time job site, but quickly got diverted to the game.
He lost 80,000 yuan (RM48,789) on a bet while his debts soared.
The prolonged pandemic closures this year made matters worse as Huang tried to use the time to recoup past losses.
His debts forced him to sell his family’s home in rural eastern China, and his wife, whom Huang once surreptitiously took 30,000 yuan (RM18,296) from him, divorced him.
Up to 50 people sign up for the center’s program per month and Si says it has helped more than 10,000 people over the past twelve years. Many are tech-savvy teens.
Although they are now divorced, Huang’s wife, Zhao Jing, is supporting him as he battles his demons.
Now they plan to work to pay off their debts within a year, remarry, and start over.
“Seeing how much has changed, I am more than 90% calm,” Zhao said.
“But I can’t be lazy.” – AFP
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