In Bergamo, meeting promoted by Bper on the fight against gambling

The meeting entitled “Gambling, from data analysis to concrete actions for the territory” was held this morning in Bergamo at the Papa Giovanni XXIII Congress Center, organized by BPER Banca together with Nomisma and ATS Bergamo . The presentation of the event by Eugenio Tangerini, Head of External Relations of Bper Banca, was followed by an illustration of the data from the 2021 Game Observatory, commissioned by Bper, with a focus on the risky behaviors of the Zeta Generation (14-19 years) and the Silver Age (over 65). The photograph from the Nomisma Observatory reveals that, while gambling is often an occasional habit or entertainment, it sometimes has worrying negative implications on daily life and family relationships: 48% of young players have hidden or downsized their gaming habits to parents and 9% of children have a problematic approach to play, with negative behaviors that affect the psychophysical sphere. In the Silver Age the propensity to gamble is lower, but it is still 25% of over 65s who declare they gamble, with an important share of those who play every day (3%) or at least once a week ( 8%). But even in this target, the approach must be monitored more than the frequency: 13% of elderly players return to gambling to recover the lost money, 10% feel guilty for the way they play, 5% think that you have a gambling problem. Also in this case, the screening made using the international SOGS-RA indicator highlights a large share of elderly people (12%) with a problematic approach to gambling. “We are aware of the role that banks play in the field of gambling, we are implementing concrete actions and activating safeguards that help players avoid moments of leisure from leading to pathology – declared Vittorio Stefano Kuhn, Chief Business Officer Lombardia of BPER Banca. For this reason we have inhibited gambling from the use of credit cards issued by the Group and provided support tools for the family of the pathological player, such as our Vademecum on the correct use of banking services. We also commissioned the research to Nomisma to have a clear framework on which to act, especially in consideration of the effects of the pandemic “. Giovanna Zacchi, Head of ESG Strategy at BPER Banca, also took part in the event, illustrating the initiatives of the Institute, which has been active for years on the issue through awareness-raising and internal monitoring of payments made with credit cards and prepaid, and Luca Biffi, Head of UOS Addiction Prevention, Department of Hygiene and Health Prevention ATS of Bergamo, who highlighted the concrete actions that local services can implement by creating alliances with credit institutions to collaborate in the prevention of the phenomenon. During the event, the information material for parents was also presented, created by the students of the ISIS Zenale and Butinone di Treviglio, on the correct use of prepaid cards. “The data indicate that the phenomenon of gambling disorder is a problem that affects an important number of people also in our province” comments Massimo Giupponi, general manager of ATS Bergamo, recalling how the structure “has activated, for several years now , a significant preventive action through collaborations with territorial networks. Among these, the one with credit institutions is particularly important, which represent fundamental sensors widespread throughout the territory and who find themselves having to manage customers with current accounts in distress due to In this way, banks play a key role in the early interception and responsible accompaniment of gambling customers or their family members to the services offered, helping to protect the social and economic well-being of the customers themselves and their families ” . “Thanks to the realization of over 7500 interviews, the 2021 Game Observatory makes available and a fundamental information tool for exploring game modes and monitoring their approach – says Silvia Zucconi Head of Market Intelligence Nomisma. Among the predictive factors that influence young people’s propensity to gamble there is not only the socio-demographic profile, gender, geographical area of ​​residence, type of school attended, but also the characteristics of the family context and of the peer group attended as well as the academic performance. These behaviors must be monitored with great attention since they could evolve into pathological forms, especially in a complex period such as the current one where 44% of young people declare that they have experienced situations of anxiety, tension, psychological difficulties “.