Zona de Azar Brasil – Brazil: COMPULSAFE Program Launched to Support Compulsive Disorder
Brazil – February 19, 2025 – www.zonadeazar.com Last Monday (17), the International Responsible Gambling Day was celebrated. Symbolically, the date marks the encouragement for best practices to be followed by betting and lottery platforms.
In Brazil, the regulatory milestone was Ordinance No. 1,231 of 07/31/2024, which introduced the rules created by the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting, of the Ministry of Finance (SPA/MF), setting guidelines for how bets can operate legally in the country.
Among these rules are monitoring and providing specialized guidance to bettors with a behavior that may indicate a gambling problem. To comply, each online betting company had to implement parameters and systems for tracking and protecting problem gamblers.
EBAC’s Actions
In this context, programs like COMPULSAFE, created by the Brazilian Company for Compulsive Support (EBAC), emerged.
“We certify individuals and betting companies in the field of Responsible Gambling. Our psychoeducational program, for example, provides 24-hour support every day of the week, including holidays,” explains Ricardo Magri, iGaming business development expert and executive director of EBAC.
“When assistance is provided, either spontaneously or referred through the betting detection systems, specialized care is ensured, with all the necessary attention and guidance to continue the process of overcoming the crisis,” he added.
Well-known companies such as those from the NSX Group (Betnacional and Mr. Jack.bet), the Esportes da Sorte Group (Esportes da Sorte and Onabet), the Ana Gaming Group (7K, Cassino and Vera), as well as Casa de Apostas and Betsul, have also joined the program.
“The bettor starts with psychological support procedures, followed by screening and referral to a psychoeducational program that can last up to eight weeks,” stated Cristiano Costa, clinical and organizational psychologist, and EBAC’s director of knowledge.
He continued: “Both in immediate assistance and in the psychoeducational program, the bettor will have access to technical information and quality group experiences to cope with gambling disorders.”
8 Weeks of Support Offered to Compulsive Bettors
But how does this support work? Below is the step-by-step explanation of the eight weeks of support offered to compulsive bettors:
First Step
Group understanding of gambling compulsion, sharing in-depth information about what compulsion is, how it affects people’s lives, and how they can overcome it.
Second Step
Identifying triggers: It is important to help bettors anticipate the triggers that lead them to gamble. These may include conflicts with personal history, self-image, family issues, negative emotions, debts, stress, or boredom.
Third Step
Developing emotional coping skills: Bettors with problems often use gambling as a way to deal with negative emotions. COMPULSAFE, as a support group, can help these individuals develop skills to cope with emotions without resorting to gambling.
Fourth Step
Financial management: One of the main problems faced by problem gamblers is dependence or over-expectation on money earned through gambling. Therefore, COMPULSAFE provides guidance on financial management and strategies for generating income through other means.
Fifth Step
Learning to have fun without gambling: If the fun is in betting, stop betting! For many problem gamblers, gambling becomes a central activity in their lives, and it is difficult to imagine having fun without it. The program can help these individuals find other fun and meaningful activities that can replace gambling.
Sixth Step
Building a support network: Having a functional support network can be crucial in overcoming gambling-related disorders. Thus, COMPULSAFE helps bettors develop a reliable support system, which can include mental health professionals, friends, family, and other support groups.
Seventh Step
Preventing relapse: Recovery from gambling compulsion is a continuous process, and relapses may occur along the way. The shared group process can help create strategies to prevent, and deal with, relapses when they happen.
Eighth Step
Building a balanced life plan: COMPULSAFE will help compulsive gamblers build a balanced life plan. This plan will include meaningful activities, work, family, and friends, as well as care for physical and mental health.
Edited by: @_fonta – www.zonadeazar.com
