EDITORIAL — Take action

You might have noticed them in several places in the city by now; huge billboards encouraging people to address their gambling addiction. There are numbers to call to reach out and talk to someone.

If not anything, this is a tacit indication that more and more people are falling into a gambling addiction and need help.

Just recently, a bus conductor was arrested claiming that he lost ?17,000 in company remittance money after he was robbed along EDSA in Quezon City. What was worse was that he blamed a policeman for allegedly robbing him.

However, when video from security cameras around the area failed to show that any crime had been committed against him, he was forced to admit that he had lost the money gambling online.

This is but another case of someone who has lost control and is willing to do or say anything to support a vice.

Apparently, there have been so many similar cases that gambling companies themselves came out with ads encouraging their customers to “take it slow”. These are posted on some taxi doors, keep a sharp eye out and you will see these.

But then again, we don’t expect gambling companies to do more than just gently suggest to their customers not to go overboard. We shouldn’t expect them to sabotage their own source of income.

More must be done to discourage people from the allure of easy money.

Again, yes, it’s their own damn business what people do for entertainment and pastime, including online gambling. We also have to admit that online gambling had made princes out of paupers overnight. Online gambling has also helped people of desperate financial situations quickly.

But like we keep saying, many of them don’t know when to stop or don’t want to stop, having become helplessly addicted to the thrill of winning. But they won’t win all the time, and the thought of recouping losses will always dominate the common sense to stop.

At least those who feel that they are trapped in a gambling addiction now have someone to help them take action. They should take the chance.