Zona de Azar Argentina – Online Betting: Teenagers Go into Debt to Get Money

Argentina.- August 14, 2024 www.zonadeazar.com This is indicated in the report by the Ombudsman in Córdoba, Carlos Galoppo. The data alarms and shows an increasingly complicated reality.

In Argentina, betting sites are prohibited for minors, however, reality shows another side: online betting. These have become a silent problem that affects more and more adolescents. In this framework, the Safe Internet Browsing Program and the Statistics Institute of the Ombudsman produced the report “Online betting: where the law has not yet reached.”

The research had among its objectives to know the behaviors and practices of adolescents between 14 and 17 years old regarding digital betting, to find out what they understand about responsible gambling, to know the sources of obtaining money when betting and to obtain data that provide information on the use that youth make of these types of games of chance.

The consultation was carried out through a digital form, with non-probabilistic sampling. In total, 868 valid cases were taken, all residents of the city of Córdoba and greater Córdoba.

To get into the topic, teenagers were asked if they had played online in the last six months. 81.3% denied having done so, while 18.7% did gamble during that period of time. This last data reduced the sample to 162 adolescents, since progress was made with those who had actually bet.

Next, they were asked about ?responsible gaming? and they inquired about what they understand in this regard; particularly about their own qualification as ?responsible gamblers?. The following graphs illustrate the answers.

¿From the data provided by this report, in terms of how they perceive their own gaming experience, it indicated that adolescents, to a greater extent, play for fun and that the game does not affect their lives. However, for others, gambling is becoming a problem or is harming them. In this sense, some admit to being “addicted,” according to their own terms.

How much money does a teenager bet online?

Certain questions sought to learn about the amount of money and time that young people invest in digital betting. In this regard, it stands out that more than 46% of those surveyed stated that they bet between $1,000 and $5,000 per week, 10% spend between 5,000 and $10,000 and 9.3% invest more than $10,000.

No less information and also in relation to money, states that players obtain money to bet in different ways: 64.2% use their allowance or monthly payment, 38.3% spend money on snacks, lunch, transportation or photocopies; For their part, 25.9% raised the money in their group of friends, 18.5% sold personal things, 8.6% took or stole money from their parents’ savings account, 9.3% did not respond and 7.4% went into debt. or asked for a loan. As mentioned above, time was also a factor analyzed and when asked the question: Do you play every day??, 11.7% said yes, while 88.3% denied doing so. However, the information takes on another relevance when consulting the amount of time they play per day and the data is alarming: 46% admitted playing more than 3 hours a day and, of that percentage, 15.7% play more than five hours daily.

Chance among the most chosen games

When asked which games or bets they use the most, the data is conclusive regarding the preferences of adolescents. 60% choose games of chance, and this percentage must be distinguished between the 39% who prefer classic casino games and the 21% who opt for the so-called mini games; In both cases, we are talking about games of chance. Football is far behind with 21% being unrepresentative among those who choose tricks, poker, bingo, basketball, motorsports, among others.

Edited: @_fonta www.zonadeazar.com