Germany has announced the launch of an annual gambling addiction awareness day.
Germany’s Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) this week launched the country’s first-ever annual gambling awareness day. The Aktionstag Glucksspielsucht 2019 takes place today (September 25) and will take place each year on the final Wednesday of September.
According to reports, the day will educate players on the risks associated with gambling and will feature the slogan “Don’t play until you’re addicted”. What’s more, the awareness day will also see the launch of new website Check-dein-Spiel.de (Translated to “Check your play”).
Through the new website, German users can access information on the different forms of gambling and take a test to assess their gambling risk. If players are classed as at-risk, they will be given advice to change their gambling behaviour.
Currently, the Federal Ministry of Health has estimated that around 500,000 people across Germany can be classed as gambling addicts. Of that 500,000, around 120,000 are slot players, a percentage the BZgA has said is higher than for other casino games such as online lotto or sports wagering.
Dr Heidrun Thaiss, the Chief of Germany’s Federal Centre for Health Education, said in a statement: “It is important to inform people and make them aware of the addictive nature of gambling before they develop problems. This is why the BZgA is offering online and offline information and counselling services, in several languages, for gamblers and their relatives.”
He continued: “Frequent repeated gambling can be a sign of addiction risk. Not everyone is aware of this, especially as there are different risks associated with each form of gambling. Products offering fast gameplay and short intervals between payouts tend to lead to players gambling more often and spending more money than intended.”
Germany’s first-ever gambling awareness day has officially launched today and will repeat every year o the final Wednesday of September.
