After winning a lawsuit over his gambling losses, a man has sparked a wider debate: should betting companies step in to prevent addiction or is it personal responsibility?
Despite voluntarily signing up to a register of gambling addicts supposedly banned from betting, a 36-year-old IT worker from Bulgaria still managed to lose around €5 000 (about R96 400) on a sports betting website.
So, he sued the betting company for allowing him to lose… and he won in court.
The legal decision raises an interesting question about liability – and especially about whether it should be the job of a betting company or casino to stop addicts, rather than they themselves, or their families and friends, taking responsibility.
Would an alcoholic be entitled to sue a bottle store, a winery or a brewery because of his or her inability to kick the booze?
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Alcoholism and gambling addiction are similar in many ways. Both addicts have the ability to destroy the lives of people around them, as well as their own health.
Both are, to a greater or lesser extent, socially acceptable if outsiders only witness moderate behaviour… so it can be difficult to discern the descent and break-up of an individual.
Gambling is booming in South Africa and there are addicts from all strata of society.
Lawmakers and betting groups need to come up with a way of lessening the destruction the addiction can cause.
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