Strengthening the Activities for Preventing
Problem Gambling and Raising
the Public’s Awareness of such Activities
The prevalence rate of gambling addiction in Korea in 2018 was 5.3%(according to the National Gambling Control Commission), which is 2~3 times higher than gambling addiction rates in major foreign nations. Some of the pernicious social problems associated with gambling addiction include personal bankruptcy, suicide, and crime. Therefore, we are making an all our effort to raise public awareness through systematic and continuous activities aimed at preventing the harmful consequences of gambling and prevent addiction to gambling.
Providing Tailored Preventive Visiting Education & Job Training
We are helping people understand the dangers associated with gambling and providing general information on the harmful effects of gambling addiction and problem gambling through Tailored Preventive Visiting Education, providing preventive education contents perfectly tailored to those needing the education. This effort is contributing to the prevention project for performing preventive activities, recognizing problem gambling early, and establishing a system that allows people to seek help as well as improving the understanding of the dangers and risks associated with problem gambling. And we are creating a prevention oriented atmosphere in schools by raising the awareness about the level and seriousness of youth problem gambling by developing and operating various education courses for training personnel aimed at preventing gambling problems arising and strengthening the capabilities of the training personnel. In addition, we are implementing job training sessions for teachers across the nation so appropriate addiction treatment can be put in place.
Problem Gambling Awareness Campaign &
Competition for Prevention of Problem Gambling
Every year, we hold various celebrations, academic forums, cultural events, campaigns, etc. in the Problem Gambling Awareness Week(one of the days is Day for the Elimination of Gambling Addiction, designated as the establishment day of the National Gambling Control Commission(September 17)) to raise public awareness about the harmful and pernicious effects of gambling addiction and to encourage society to pay more attention to the prevention of gambling addiction. In order to raise awareness about problem gambling and publicize prevention activities in a more effective manner, we hold a competition for prevention of problem gambling every year, expanding the target groups and methods (e.g. UCC, cartoon, poster, slogan, experience description). The competition aims to help Korea Problem Gambling Agency and the related organizations prevent and treat problem gambling.
Supporting Private Agencies & University Prevention Activities
Differentiated prevention programs considering the regions without centers and focusing on target groups were deemed to be necessary after Korea Problem Gambling Agency was operated, and we are developing various original prevention programs to support organizations and private agencies related to problem gambling, starting from the pilot project in 2014. And with gambling problems among university students becoming an urgent social issue, in 2018 we selected groups consisting of 789 university students(from 37 universities across the nation) to promote the prevention of problem gambling among university students(we started selecting the groups in 2014). We are giving them constant and full support so they can prevent gambling addiction by themselves(their activities: problem gambling prevention campaigns on campuses, lectures on prevention of problem gambling, etc.).
Providing Services for Recovery and
Rehabilitation from the Problems of Gambling
The current number of problem gamblers is estimated to be 1.97 million (adults aged 20 or over). Among them, the number of problem gamblers in need of immediate treatment is 0.49 million. Korea Problem Gambling Agency has established the social safety net ‘System for Addiction Prevention, Recovery and Rehabilitation’ to provide beneficiary-centered integrated services for addiction prevention and recovery.
Projects Connected with and in Collaboration with Private Counseling Agencies
Korea Problem Gambling Agency is providing recovery services to gambling addicts and their families who have difficulty in visiting a regional center(the services are provided in connection with and in collaboration with private counseling agencies). We have sought to minimize the threat posed by problem gambling that more and more problem gamblers and their families face and have helped addicts recover from the addiction by signing a counseling service purchase contract with 18 private counseling agencies across the nation starting in February 2014.
Operation of Help Line 1336
A helpline where people can access counseling services is needed to provide beneficiary-centered integrated services for gambling addiction prevention and recovery for 365 days a year. For this reason, we started a helpline telephone counseling service (1336: counseling on problem gambling) in September 2013. We have provided an integrated 24- hour online counseling service and a service in connection with the community centers and private counseling agencies since 2014. And apart from the counseling services, we have provided other services as well since then: providing information about gambling addiction, case management, crisis intervention, etc.
Integration of Gambling Addiction Recovery Services
We are performing a project to provide integrated recovery services for problem gamblers and their families through professional and systematic cooperation between each region's related agencies. We are providing emergency and outpatient treatment services for problem gamblers also suffering from a crisis or psychiatric difficulties caused by problem gambling. And we are helping him/her recovery from gambling addiction through connecting various and alternative programs.
Research on Problem Gambling and
Training Manpower
Korea Problem Gambling Agency is improving the quality of services by performing various studies on prevention and recovery from gambling addiction and developing and spreading various relevant programs; and is playing a role in creating the foundations needed to provide effective policies and high-quality addiction prevention and recovery services by continually training experts and investigations on various types of problem gambling in Korea.
Training Experts in Problem Gambling
Korea Problem Gambling Agency is systematically training professionals (e.g. instructors needed to help the addict’s recovery and rehabilitation from the problems of gambling) for the purpose of raising the quality of services for prevention and recovery from the problems of gambling and securing various experts needed in each part of the service delivery system. And it is developing hands-on educational courses specialized in problem gambling to smoothly supply experts needed for the centers and related organizations to provide recovery and rehabilitation services and is performing a project for training experts in problem gambling, who provide the services.
Development of Contents Specialized in Prevention Education(e.g. Plays, Film) and On,Off-line Contents for High-Risk Groups
We are enhancing the coherence of prevention education and its effectiveness by developing online and offline the contents for elementary school, middle school, high school, and university students, the general public and people engaged in the gambling industry and working at related organizations (the contents are being developed in consideration of different age groups). In 2015, we intended to develop them in the form of plays and film for the prevention of gambling (the development aims to raise awareness of problem gambling and to raise the preventive effects; and the contents are to be used to increase public accessibility to them and for gambling prevention education). And we intended to seek changes in the perception and behavior towards gambling addiction and to raise the prevention education effects through developing contents to educate people in high-risk groups (adolescents and young adults) and people engaged in the gambling industry about the dangers of gambling addiction.
GPIS
(Gambling Problems Information System)
A specially designed information system for all related information data base on personal treatment records as well as socio-demographic characteristics of all customers of KPGA. Personal trend after starting treatment can be easily recognized through graph, help counselling/communication between problem gambler/family and counsellor, and manage the statistics on KPGA service in general. The records as a treatment chart can be used for counselling during session as medical doctor does. KPGA is proud of the GPIS system which is most delicate and useful for the recovery from problem gambling and management of the institution.
