Natalia Denikeeva
When talking about gaming addiction, the conversation often boils down to a very simple formula: “it's your own fault for not being able to stop.” This approach sounds convenient – it shifts responsibility onto the individual and allows you to ignore a systemic problem.
Main points
- Gambling addiction is recognized by the International Classification of Diseases as a behavioral disorder associated with loss of control.
- Effectively combating gambling addiction requires a legal and controlled market, the implementation of safeguards such as player identification, financial limits, and a support infrastructure for people at risk of addiction.
Natalia Denikeeva
When talking about gaming addiction, the conversation often boils down to a very simple formula: “it's your own fault for not being able to stop.” This approach sounds convenient – it shifts responsibility onto the individual and allows you to ignore a systemic problem.
How stigma leaves people without help
In this perspective, people with addictions are effectively excluded from the field of support. They are not seen as those who need help, but rather as those who should be condemned or isolated. The stronger the condemnation, the later they seek help. The later they seek help, the more difficult it is to stop the addiction. As a result, the public reaction does not reduce the problem, but on the contrary, it intensifies it. Read more in the exclusive column for Channel 24.
In reality, gaming addiction is much more complex than it is usually described in public discourse. It is not a one-time “bad decision” or lack of self-control, but a condition that develops gradually and changes a person's behavior.
In 2019, the WHO included gambling addiction in the International Classification of Diseases. This means that it is considered a behavioral disorder associated with loss of control over gambling, changing priorities, and continuing to gamble even when it already has obvious negative consequences.
In practice, this looks like a vicious circle: attempts to “win back”, increasing stakes, loss of sense of time and money. Over time, this can lead to debt, destruction of social ties, loss of job and serious psychological problems.
Why bans don't work
The first reaction often sounds radical – “just ban everything.” This seems like a logical solution. However, international experience shows that a complete ban does not solve the problem of addiction.
Gambling has one important feature – the demand for it never disappears. If access to legal services becomes more difficult, it simply flows into the shadows . Under such circumstances, the state actually loses any tools of influence: there is no control, no requirements for business, no mechanisms to protect players.
Illegal platforms do not verify age, do not offer self-restriction tools, and do not respond to risky behavior. For them, the player is just a source of income. That is why most European countries have chosen a different approach: not to deny the existence of gambling, but to create rules that minimize risks.
What really reduces the risks of addiction
Over the years of experimentation, different states have come to a similar conclusion: not just one ban works, but a system of safeguards. These are the tools we are implementing in Ukraine today.
The first of these is player identification . In the legal sector, a person cannot place a bet anonymously: the organizer must know who is playing. This allows them to apply age restrictions, monitor activity, and respond to risky behavior.
The second is financial and time limits . Their logic is simple – a person determines in advance the boundaries of the game that the system does not allow to be exceeded. The player can set how much money he is willing to spend or how much time he will spend in the game during a certain period.
This is how modern gambling regulation works in most European countries.
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The UK has a national GAMSTOP system that allows a person to block access to all licensed online casinos in the country with one decision.
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Sweden has a similar system, Spelpaus, that applies to both online platforms and physical gambling establishments. Once registered, no legal business has the right to allow a person to play.
A similar tool is also available in Ukraine. The PlayCity website has a section where a person can take a test and assess the risk of gaming addiction, apply for self-restriction , or limit participation in the game for a loved one.
After submitting an application, the data is entered into the appropriate register within 24 hours, and the organizers do not allow the person to play for a certain period of time – from several months to several years. The same register contains contacts of medical and social services that provide professional assistance.
Another important direction: limiting aggressive promotion of gambling . PlayCity is gradually clearing the information space of such content. For advertising illegal services, a fine of over 5 million hryvnias is currently provided.
The principles of responsible gaming also apply in parallel. They explicitly prohibit encouraging a person to continue playing after a loss – offering bonuses, gifts, or any other incentives that encourage them to place a new bet.
Market surveillance is gradually becoming digital. This will make it much easier to monitor compliance with these requirements and respond more quickly to violations.
But all these tools, I would add, have one common logic: they only work when the market is legal and controlled. That is why the fight against gaming addiction is impossible without displacing the illegal segment.
What exacerbates the problem today
The full-scale war has dramatically increased the level of stress in society. Many people live in constant tension, with uncertainty about the future, financial difficulties and emotional exhaustion. In such conditions, gambling for some people becomes a way of escaping from reality or an attempt to quickly change the situation.
Another factor is accessibility. Online platforms have made gambling much easier: a few clicks on the phone and a person is already in the game. This means that the risks of addiction are growing faster today than in the days when gambling was tied only to physical establishments.
That is why the fight against gambling addiction cannot be reduced to bans or individual regulatory decisions. A comprehensive system is needed – from clear rules for the market to mechanisms to help people who have already encountered addiction.
Where to look for help
The state is gradually building such a system. These include rules of responsible gaming, tools for self-restraint, digital market monitoring, and the fight against illegal platforms. But another component is no less important – an open conversation about the problem.
In many countries, along with regulatory tools, support centers for people at risk of gambling addiction operate. In Ukraine, such an infrastructure is also beginning to take shape. In particular, the Life Space at the Center for Responsible Gaming operates – a place where people at risk of gambling addiction and their families can receive psychological help and expert advice.
Because the first step to solving a problem is to acknowledge that it exists. And to work with it systematically: through regulation, control, information, and support for people who need it.
The column is the author's personal opinion; the editorial staff of Channel 24 may not share it.