PAMPANGA, Philippines – Roger was just 18 years old when he ended his day betting at least P20,000 on multiple gambling sites. There was a time when he even spent £120,000 gambling in just one week. On the other hand, Iñigo, who had just turned 21, saw himself on the verge of gambling addiction at the beginning of the epidemic, when he was only 16 years old.

These two young people agreed to be interviewed by Rappler on the condition that we not reveal their real names.

Republic Act No. 9287 states that an individual must be at least 21 years of age to play in casinos; This is the same standard applied to legal online gambling sites in the country. However, Roger and Iñigo said that it is easy to hide their identities and log into these online betting sites. Even though they were small, they could gamble on these sites. Inigo said: “Online, madali lang. Madali lang pekehen kung sino ka, kung taga saan ka, o kung ilang taon ka n“A.” (It’s easy to spoof your identity, location, and age on online sites.)

Gambling habits started due to peer pressure and social media influence. Inigo said he was attracted by broadcasters who said you could win millions of pesos with just small bets. He was convinced that he could achieve this. On the other hand, Roger also blamed peer pressure. He said another factor was the boredom brought on by the curfew during the epidemic.

These habits were also inadvertently financed by their parents through the allowances they received. Iñigo said he would be extra frugal, even giving up daily necessities so he could enjoy gambling longer after school. He recalled: “Kumakain gave a clue, though. And sa pag-uwi ko, naglalakad na lang ako”. (I would still eat it, but I would be very frugal and walk home.)

When they looked back at those days, the conclusions the two reached were different. Roger said: “May nararamdaman ka pong parang “depressed” ka… mga sanang hindi mo na lang tin-ry ganun.” (You kind of get depressed and wish you hadn’t tried this). He said he wished he could get back his loss of one hundred thousand pesos. Meanwhile, Iñigo, whose losses amounted to nearly P5,000, had no remorse and was happy to have won something higher than his bet for his other misdeeds.

social experiment

Rappler conducted an unscientific social experiment outside of 3 different universities around Angeles and Mabalcat City in Pampanga. We asked 30 random students: “There is a way to put the P50 in the box?” (Are you ready to gamble P50 on this box?)

In the experiment, students near universities were offered a mystery box for P50. 22 out of 30 students took the risk and bet their money, only to realize later that the box was empty. Despite the disappointment of gamblers, many said: “ok long, nag risk ako eh”. (no problem, I took the risk).

This social experiment reflected the teenager’s propensity for gambling and his surprising lack of guilt or remorse despite losing money. One student said: “I love the excitement, YOLO.” Many took the bait to laugh among themselves barkada.

Students at a particular university said they were influenced by social media, where “experiments” like this that preclude potentially high rewards are proliferating. Another student said: “Mostly lahat nag a-ad ganoon (gambling), nanalo.” (Mostly all advertisers show their winnings in gambling). Another added: “Siguro got involved in social media. Nakikita did not use the ads elsewhere. Parang takaw mata po kasi syempre pag may nakikita na easy money.” (Maybe it’s because of social media. They see it becoming a trend in advertisements. When they see the easy money, they grab it)

A psychological explanation

According to Argel Masanda, a registered psychometrician, guidance counselor and full-time professor in Pampanga, teenagers are naturally more prone to gambling and taking risks.

Gambling has a high probability of turning into addiction. He said addiction stems from the brain’s inability to be satisfied. “Addiction is the uncontrollable desire to do something. This is not it hindi mo kayaThis is actually physiological… it happens cover ang reward system natin sa brain ay nagka-problem naespecially the limbic system.”

(Addiction is the uncontrollable desire to do something. It’s not that it can’t be stopped, it’s actually physiological… It occurs when there is a problem with the brain’s reward system, especially the limbic system.)

This type of addiction has been studied to cause high levels of impairment, dysfunction, and social danger, which is recorded as a disorder in the DSM-IV. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Such risks are more common in young people whose prefrontal cortex is underdeveloped, Masanda said. This part of the brain is responsible for decision making and is expected to mature around the age of 25.

While young people are aware of the distress caused by gambling in the country, there is a lack of knowledge about how it affects the individual. Masanda said part of the problem is that gambling has now become normalized in society.

Many advertisements and billboards are seen attracting the public. Samuel Galang, a registered guidance counselor, agrees that social media plays a big role in why gambling is “a normal thing” for most teenagers. All five students who participated in the experiment fell into the “trap” in hopes of winning prizes as big as a brand new iPhone or P5,000 as seen on social media platforms such as Tiktok.

Galang said universities should look into this issue. “Parang hindi masyadong nabibigyan ng pansin. Pag sinabi kasi makes addiction more related to substances, drugs and alcohol. Kaya kung makikita natin, even yung government Hindi nila alam kung paano sugpuin itong problema na ‘to.”

(It doesn’t seem to get enough attention. When we talk about addiction, the focus is more on substances, drugs, and alcohol. So when we look at it, even the government doesn’t know how to deal with this issue.)

Masanda and Galang also observed that the impact of this addiction not only affects the financial aspect, but also causes depression, hallucinations, and even anxiety as addicts try hard to gain earnings.

“…Pag nanalo ka kasi, hahanap hanapin mo yung sensation na yun.” (“…Because when you win, you will continue to search for that feeling.) Roger reminisces about the emotions that led him deeper into gambling, completely ignoring the consequences. This impact on people poses a bigger problem for society when young people are involved.

Both Inigo and Roger admit to falling down the rabbit hole of gambling. They now talk about it candidly, fully aware that it is an addiction. And if one wants to stop this disorder, Masanda said: “The first step to truly preventing it is accepting that you may be (an addict).” – Rappler.com

Aya Ranas is a sophomore in Communication and a scholar at Clark National University in Pampanga. Editor-in-chief and founder of the Nationalian Clarion, also a Aries Rufo Journalism Fellow Rappler’s for 2024.