Bingo banned, more players in clinics.

The number of people seeking help at gambling clinics at the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp) and the University of São Paulo (USP) increased by 40% to 50% after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva closed bingo halls on February 20th. In addition to new cases, doctors and psychologists at the two services – the only ones providing this type of care in the country – also registered the return of former patients who had received treatment in the past. This demand has not yet been reflected in Gamblers Anonymous (GA), a group of former addicts who meet to support each other and ensure abstinence. It is the clinics and doctor's offices that receive the first requests for help. "Open or closed bingo halls make no difference to those who have already reached this self-help phase," observes Márcio, a pseudonym for the organization's public relations representative in São Paulo. Psychiatrist Marcelo Fernandes, coordinator of the Program for Guidance and Assistance to Addicts (Proad) at the Federal University of São Paulo, also noted a migration of bingo players to other types of entertainment. "Since they are compulsive gamblers who can't stop playing, many seek out the lottery, horse racing, and the jogo do bicho (illegal lottery) as escape valves," the doctor explains.Clandestinos According to reports from some patients, both from Proad and the Pathological Gambling Clinic (Amjo) of the Institute of Psychiatry at the Hospital das Clínicas of the University of São Paulo, the ban on bingo halls is also leading to the proliferation of clandestine gambling dens, mainly in the city center. "It's not enough to remove the supply to curb the demand, because subterfuges are always created to circumvent the law," observes Fernandes, the coordinator of Proad. The compulsion to gamble can lead to despair when the gambler finds no other way out. "One of our patients who had already used cocaine returned to the drug with the ban on bingo," reveals psychologist Juliana Bizeto, from the Proad team. "And those who drank before are drinking more," adds the clinic coordinator. According to the doctor, this migration to other addictions reflects the anguish of addicts who, from one moment to the next, were lost with the ban on gambling. The risks are even greater because there are compulsive gamblers who are potential suicides. "A survey conducted at the Hospital das Clínicas showed that 15% of our patients have attempted suicide and that 80% have considered suicide as a way out," reveals psychiatrist Hermano Tavares, coordinator of Amjo. Concerned about such threats, the Hospital das Clínicas outpatient clinic provides psychotherapy sessions and psychiatric consultations for those seeking treatment. The waiting list at Amjo, which has the capacity to treat 120 patients per year, is 3 to 12 months. Proad has 80 people registered in its registry for weekly sessions. In both cases, the service is free. "We work with the perspective of abstinence (giving up gambling), but also with the concept of harm reduction, which is the substitution of one game of chance for another less harmful one," said Fernandes, referring to Proad's philosophy, which he considers innovative. For the psychiatrist, switching from slot machines to table games, preferably at home, is already a gain. "If the addict gambles spending less money and less time in a gambling hall, that's progress," observed Fernandes. The Hospital das Clínicas team follows a different method. "We are tolerant and don't send away those seeking harm reduction, but we insist on total abstinence when the attempt fails," says Tavares. "Then we align with Gamblers Anonymous, whose members must avoid the first bet each day," adds the Amjo coordinator.Prohibition – For specialists in treating compulsive gamblers, closing bingo halls will not solve the problem of gambling – an illness that must be treated with the concern of helping and curing the patient. "The government is not concerned with the gambler, but with the legal aspect, while bingo halls can be used for money laundering and tax evasion," warns Fernandes, the coordinator of Proad. Both he and his colleague Tavares, from the Hospital das Clínicas, believe that if bingo halls are to reopen, they need to be regulated. The psychiatrists suggest that, in this case, gambling establishments should be well-monitored and have the obligation to warn users of the risks they run. "The gambler needs to know that they can acquire an addiction and that they will almost always lose to the machine," observes Tavares. Any regulation should also provide, the doctors advise, for a portion of the profits to be allocated to the treatment of compulsive gamblers. "If it's not like that, it would be better to close the bingo halls permanently, because there was a real orgy going on," agrees Fernandes. Personally opposed to a radical ban, the psychiatrist from Proad insists on regulation. Reducing the number of video games, controlling the number of establishments, and guaranteeing resources for information and treatment of users are some of the measures that experts suggest to the government in this case.The daily struggle against the first bet.
Compulsive gamblers bear witness to determination and solidarity. A month without gambling was already a victory for Áurea, the pseudonym of a 54-year-old woman who, on Thursday night, celebrated this milestone at a Gamblers Anonymous (GA) meeting in the parish hall of the Church of Souls, in Ponte Pequena. And it was indeed something to celebrate: "I played for about six years, stopped for two, had a relapse, and now I'm determined to stop for good," said Áurea, after giving a statement to her emotional companions – 26 men and women who listened in silence, some wiping tears from their eyes. An administrative employee at a company, Áurea abandoned the gambling machines on the night of February 18, two days before President Lula closed the bingo halls. "Thank God, because I was losing everything – money, health, time, confidence, and communication with my daughter, who is here beside me supporting me." Márcio, 45, the state public relations officer for Gamblers Anonymous, heard these words as yet another encouraging testimony for those who, like him and all the group participants, face addiction with hope and determination. "I've been abstinent for one year and two months after 20 years of addiction and several relapses," said Márcio, a salesman who lost everything to gambling – job, family, material possessions, shame, and character, as he himself recounted. Sitting before a friendly and supportive audience, as if making a confession, Márcio revealed that he was arriving from court, where he had appeared as a defendant accused of theft. Stolen money to gamble. It wasn't a unique or exceptional story, as other teammates had already followed a similar path. "I committed fraud, forging the signatures of my wife and daughter," said Marcílio, 65 years old, who had been abstinent for 7 years after nearly 50 years of gambling. "That's right, because I started when I was a boy and only stopped when I hit rock bottom." Marcílio lost three houses, seven cars, and more than R$ 400 (in current currency) after falling into debt with 12 banks and 26 finance companies. "I paid R$ 350 when I stopped playing, but I'm not able to pay the rest." Horses, bingo, dice, lottery, animal game, playing cards, license plates – nothing escaped. "I was a gambling factory, the worst addiction there is." "Even worse than alcohol," said Marcílio, who also used to drink heavily but managed to stop 23 years ago when he decided to attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings, which he continues to attend as a coordinator in the Cambuci neighborhood. "Did they ban bingo?" "It makes no difference to me, because after I quit nine months ago, I never had the urge to gamble again," said Maria, 46 years old and married for 26 years, who very nearly lost her family because of gambling. "When my salary ran out (she earned R$ 1.300 until she was fired from her job), I stole money from my husband, who didn't suspect a thing." He only found out when she told him, nine months after she left the bingo hall. "So far, no relapses," Maria celebrates, thanking her children, a boy and a girl, who knew about the problem and encouraged her to join Gamblers Anonymous. Moreover, brotherhood, as Márcio, the public relations officer, observes. Although the organization is not religious or denominational in nature, its attendees begin and end their meetings with a prayer, in which they ask God for serenity and perseverance to overcome gambling addiction. "I am a compulsive gambler" or "I am a compulsive female gambler," this is how each man and each woman introduces themselves when giving their testimony. No one speaks for more than five minutes, but everyone speaks from the heart, certain that no secret will leave the four walls of the hall. "Whoever you see here, what you hear here, when you leave here, let it stay here," advises a sign hanging on the coordinator's desk. Approximately 30 people participate in each meeting. Founded 11 years ago in Brazil, Gamblers Anonymous operates in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Bahia, Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul, with meetings twice a week.  Estadão – JOSÉ MARIA MAYRINK