ZDF.reportage Gambling addiction - the underestimated danger
The consequences for those affected are usually fatal + often end in financial ruin. But the industry continues to boom. A total of 4.5 million people in Germany have problems with gambling. This was the result of a study by the University of Bremen. 1.3 million people are even addicted. Germany now has one of the largest gambling markets in Europe. "This is certainly a phenomenon that has been underestimated in the past," says psychologist Tobias Hayer (49). Gambling addicts have "no pricks, like a junkie. They don't have a staggering gait, no flag, like an alcoholic. This gives those affected the opportunity to keep their addiction a secret for decades." This was also the case for Nicole Dreifeld (35) from Bremen.
As an 18-year-old, she worked as a supervisor in an amusement arcade, five years later she threw four euros into the machine for the first time - and won. This was followed by years of gambling addiction. "You're like in a absorbent cotton bubble that's just awful, and there's nothing nice anymore because you're always busy hiding the gambling," she says. "For a long time, I think my older child really believed that shopping must take four hours because I was in the arcade." Nicole Dreifeld has been gambling-free since 2018. The 35-year-old now runs what she claims is the largest self-help group in Germany. Sebastian C. (46) is part of the self-help group. He lives in Zeven in Lower Saxony and started gambling as a teenager + gambled away several hundred thousand euros in total.
Conrad only admits to his addiction when he is already completely destroyed. Debts, psychiatric treatment, suicide attempt, personal bankruptcy. "Even when I left the arcade in the evening + thought it was the last time, I woke up in the morning and the urge was there again," he says looking back on his time as a gambling addict. He would have liked more player protection back then. The self-help group was a lifeline for the 46-year-old. "I have to say quite clearly that it saved my life. Otherwise I wouldn't be here now," he says. Aykim K. (32) lives near Wilhelmshaven and started gambling at the age of 17. In addition to the arcades, he also gambled in sports betting shops.
"That kick, that feeling when you win a large sum of money, is actually almost indescribable," he explains. He now knows what's behind it and publishes videos on YouTube in which he educates people about gambling addiction. For him, gambling was always about recognition, he wanted "to be as rich as a professional footballer". Today, he works as a truck driver and is currently in bankruptcy. In the ZDF.reportage "Vorsicht Glücksspiel! Zocken bis zur Pleite", gambling addicts tell their stories. They show the ways out of gambling addiction.
Broadcasting on 21st of January 2024 at 06.00pm on ZDF
Music: POPVIRUS Library