The father, who works as a university professor, told “Sky News Arabia” that he had noticed the spread of electronic gambling in several regions inside Lebanon, to raise the alarm about this disturbing phenomenon.
He continued, “The surprise was that I discovered many Lebanese regions living in the same conditions. Betting takes place in Internet centers in light of the economic crisis and rampant chaos, and operates under the slogan of youth cafes.”
The father added: “The owners of these centers earn profits through the use of their own bank withdrawal cards, and the cafes lure young people and enter them to international gambling sites through credit cards, and in the event of profit, the owner of the cafe shares the amount equally with the winner.”
the situation is dangerous”
The mayor of the southern coastal Sarafand municipality, Ali Khalifa, said, “The situation is dangerous. We discovered with a group of people from neighboring areas that thefts are active in homes and among members of the same family, to get money and participate in these games.”
Khalifa added to “Sky News Arabia”: “The gambling games have become in Internet cafes instead of casino halls, and sometimes among those who are able at home through mobile phones. I asked for help from the security services and contacted the head of the Lebanese General Security Service, Major General Abbas Ibrahim. I appealed to those concerned. In light of this crisis, young people do not turn into a generation of gamblers and gamblers.”
The local official revealed the participation of girls in betting in some areas, noting that “the dire consequences of these practices may force the bettors to sell or steal the contents of the parents’ home, and the matter may develop into murder,” calling on the media to shed light on “the new scourge that has begun to affect All ages,” he said.
Prohibitions of all kinds
According to security sources who spoke to “Sky News Arabia”, the security forces “blocked a number of Internet sites run by Lebanese gangs that specialize in playing poker for money, paid either through electronic accounts abroad or through Lebanese money transfer sites.”
Voices are rising calling for the Ogero Communications Company and Internet service providers to block such sites, but the owners quickly change the names of their sites, as well as allocating some programs that work with VPN technology to operate sites from inside Internet cafes, some of which have become drug and alcohol dens, and even And prostitution too.
addictive and draining
In an exclusive interview with “Sky News Arabia”, social researcher Wadea Al-Amouni considered that gambling can lead to addiction.
She explained: “The person begins to play gambling for entertainment, but turns into addiction and then drains it by paying money with the aim of earning more money. It is a kind of failed adventure that leads to a loss on the financial level, and this is also reflected negatively on the psyche of the addict who becomes a violent person, and it is possible This may lead to his suicide due to loss, or resorting to theft, drug abuse and alcohol consumption.”
Regarding the causes of the phenomenon, the social researcher said: “They are many, most notably the high rate of unemployment and family disintegration. We do not have statistical studies to know the number of players, but the phenomenon spreads remarkably and leads to the loss of money.”
Wadea Al-Amouni added: “Parents have an active role, so they should not provide children with money to buy digital currencies, hide valuables, and most importantly confront and highlight the harmful side of this scourge, and resort to a specialist for treatment if necessary.”
And she concluded: “The state also bears responsibility, as a committee must be allocated within the framework of combating electronic addiction, which fuels violence and sometimes leads to suicide, as well as electronic sexual addiction, which is not different from drug addiction. The state must block digital applications and facilitator websites through regulating laws, and that The Ministry of Communications and Information monitors these websites and applications.”
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