Part 1
ON JUNE 2, 42-year-old Jesse Carlos went to Resorts World Manila, set the casino tables on fire, tried to steal chips, and then went into a room and killed himself. Thirty-seven other people died of smoke inhalation. The incident dealt a black eye on the Philippines’ reputation as a gaming/tourism destination. It is now being investigated by Congress, in an effort to address the lapses observed during the unfortunate incident.
The footage provided by Resorts World showed Carlos going on what seemed like a rampage. We saw him during his last moments. Watching him, we wondered: What was going on in his mind?
Eventually we learned that he was one of 398 “problem gamers” in the exclusion program of the Philippine Gaming and Amusement Corp. Carlos’ name was put on the list at the behest of his family. He had been fired from his job at the Finance Department for issues with his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth. He had incurred P4 million in debt. He had separated from his wife.
Pagcor’s Code of Practice defines a problem gamer as an individual affected by gambling to the point of no longer having normal control or rational judgment, leading to problems in other areas of the gambler’s life.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V, the authority in mental health, has a stricter definition of what constitutes gambling addiction. It lays down the following behaviors:
1. Needs to gamble with increasing amounts of money in order to achieve the desired excitement.
2. Is restless or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop gambling.
3. Has made repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop gambling.
4. Is often preoccupied with gambling (e.g., having persistent thoughts of reliving past gambling experiences, handicapping or planning the next venture, thinking of ways to get money with which to gamble).
5. Often gambles when feeling distressed (e.g., helpless, guilty, anxious, depressed).
6. After losing money gambling, often returns another day to get even (“chasing” one’s losses).
7. Lies to conceal the extent of involvement with gambling.
8. Has jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, job, or educational or career opportunity because of gambling.
9. Relies on others to provide money to relieve desperate financial situations caused by gambling.
It’s a mild condition when four or five criteria are met; moderate when six or seven are present; severe when there are eight or nine.
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What is not usually known is that because such a condition can be diagnosed, it can also be treated.
The husband-and-wife team of Ces and Junjun Gonzales has been helping run The One Algon Place in Barangay Mamatin, Cabuyao, Laguna since 2004. It was put up by Junjun’s father, Rudin, who unfortunately passed on at age 66 just a few weeks ago.
Algon Place enjoys two licenses—as a drug rehabilitation facility and as a psychiatric treatment center. Gambling addiction falls under the second category unless the gambler is also a drug dependent.
According to the Gonzaleses, the ideal treatment for a pathological gambler is anywhere between six months and one year in a facility. This usually begins with two full weeks of observation, where the patient’s history, family background, previous illnesses and medication, and the root of the addiction is discussed. This is usually the most difficult phase—patients are known to bang their heads on the walls or curse/threaten the staff. Beyond this, treatment is provided in four aspects: Biological, psychological, social and spiritual. There are sessions with counselors, group activities, various kinds of therapy like sports or the arts, and regular dialogue with family.
The role of the family cannot be overemphasized, according to Ces. These are the people who decide that their family member needs the intervention. Most likely, they have suffered the consequences of the gambling addiction. The gamblers squander family resources, refuse to provide for minors’ needs, and often even put at risk savings and investments that would otherwise secure their future.
Since it is the families who commit the individual to the facilities, it is they who also request that their family member be released. There was one instance when a patient manipulated her family into thinking that she was already treated after just a few weeks. When she got out, she went back to her ways—including stealing from her parents just to sustain her gambling. This cycle went on until she stayed long enough to be treated properly—and just this year, she was among the passers in one of the most difficult licensure examinations in the country.
Gambling presupposes a difficulty in controlling one’s impulses. Again, Ces emphasizes the role that families play. Children between the ages of 11 and 13 must have their values in place already, because after that, they will be exposed to all kinds of temptations outside the security of their homes. If they are raised without the proper guidance, they can become unable to control their urges and fall into a life of crime.
Tragically, even senior citizens can gamble their life’s work away if they are not able to keep themselves in check. Junjun talks about an elderly man who has pawned off the family home to support his vice. Fortunately for him, his enlightened children—one of them the entrepreneur behind a popular clothing line—work together to intervene and prevent him from throwing away all that he has toiled for.
Another couple in the US discovered gambling later on in life, just prior to their retirement. The problem is that they were not able to control their impulses such that they lost every asset they produced during their active years. They even sold off the property they left behind here in the Philippines. They died paupers.
Continued next week