Gambling is not a game

According to the Observatory of Addictions and Problematic Consumption, 30% of the population has some connection with gambling in Argentina, where 7 out of every 100 are considered addicts. Other international studies indicate that while it may take 7 years for an adult to turn a gambling habit into a problematic consumption, it may take 2 years for a young person.This problem is fed by the massive access to new technologies, by stereotypes of "success" linked to quick money and by a current climate marked by immediacy and the dissociation of efforts, deadlines and sustainability to achieve achievements.The purpose of this national research of federal scope was to make visible and measure the problem in adolescents and young people; to raise awareness in society; to build empirical evidence through scientific method and to influence the design of public policies.The conclusions reached are not related to the fun, recreation, laughter and mental health that characterize all gambling. If it sickens, anguishes, isolates, generates anxiety; it is not a game.Gambling is not a game and invites to remove the word "game" from any link with gambling.