Inside Asian Gaming

IAG JAPAN JUN 2020 58 Council to Consider Problem Gambling representative, Noriko Tanaka. ギャンブル依存症問題を考える会代表田中紀子氏 JAPAN Shintaro Kamimura: It is said you come from three generations of gambling addiction. May I ask about the circumstances? Noriko Tanaka: Yes. My grandfather, my father, my husband and I had gambling addictions and have recovered. My grandfather’s vice was pachinko, my father’s was public forms of gambling (keirin, horse racing, boat racing and lottery) and my husband, well he gambled on everything. I was also addicted to public forms of gambling, casinos and shopping. When I was a child, we lived a poor life due to my grandfather’s and father’s problems. I was raised in a troubled home caused by addiction. Now, my husband and I have recovered. SK: How do you determine if someone has an addiction? NT: We developed a simple screening test and checklist. It’s called LOST. Limitless, Once again, Secret, Take money back. “Limitless” refers to not setting or keeping limits in terms of budget or time, “Once again” means using any winnings for the next gambling session, “Secret” means hiding the gambling and “Take money back” means chasing losses. These four behaviors form the acronym LOST. If at least two of these apply to someone, they are suspected of having a gambling addiction. SK: What are some of the specific activities your organization is involved in? NT: We focus on family support. The most important thing is how families who are involved respond to the addict, so we provide support for that. We also intervene if the addict has committed violence or a crime and help connect people to hospitals and support groups. Once the addict has recovered, we provide support in social recovery.