By: Danielle Akia Acaylar
“Scatter! 5 times! 10 times! 20 times!”
The thrill and excitement run through the veins of minimum wage workers who struggle to make ends meet. Their fingers crossed at a digital screen waiting for luck to be the determinant of their fate. While the rush exhilarates their nerves, they do not realize the darkness that beholds behind every tap.
A netizen once wrote about an experience he had while riding a jeepney. The driver had his phone on a holder, on a familiar gambling site, and a game that was on auto-spin. Scatter. As the man drives, he continues to glance at his phone hoping for a big win, depositing small amounts from his e-wallet whenever he’d run out, while his passenger watches him drain all the money that could’ve been a week’s worth. He goes about this continuously. He buys-in, puts it on auto-spin, makes small wins, runs out, and buys-in again.
While gambling can be seen as “just a game” or a “sige lang, basin diay?”—for some it is a “dapat makadaog jud ko ani kay wala nami makaon ugma”. In a country where poverty thrives, a significant number of us Filipinos think of the latter, and the rich have finally figured out how to make money out of the poor where it is of their own volition, making their conscience clear.
Influencers promote gambling like it’s a guarantee. Playing with the poor like it’s some sort of sport. Yet, Filipinos play along because tapping a screen and hoping for the odds to be in your favor is way easier than a guaranteed daily or monthly paycheck from hard work and dedication. How do we grow in pots we’ve poisoned? What destination do we expect to find when we keep leading ourselves to dead-ends?
The dangers behind gambling goes beyond casino doors or log-ins to sites. For many, they are an everyday reality. Those who become addicted, ripple through many problems that affect more than just finances. Alcohol-abuse, family violence, mental and physical health risks are just some of the after-effects that take a toll on an individual. It is much more encompassing than it seems. The need for awareness, regulation, and control should be at its peak now that the gambling industry has taken over our country more than it should.
Whether you’re a compulsive gambler or not, realize the real cost that comes with a mere bet that stretches far beyond just a couple of extra pesos lost–it ripples through communities and families, weakening the very fabric of lives.
As the saying goes: “The house always wins” and we cannot turn a blind eye to those who lose much more than just some extra cash.
