“Today, with this interpellation, let's try to understand and evaluate in the most sober way possible, given that we are talking about a huge problem in terms of addiction, that is, of dependence, therefore sobriety should be the minimum wage that moves political decision-makers, the Government and Parliament, in particular the majority. We're talking about one addiction. I want to remember the word addiction it does not mean addition, it comes from Latin addicts, that is, a subject who was free and then became a slave. So, the term addiction it gives the idea of a particularly serious and serious phenomenon, which does not allow freedom. However, the Latins were much more pragmatic than one might think and the reference is to the one who was free, but then becomes a slave: theaddicts he was the one who became a slave because he had not been able to honor a debt towards his creditor. So, the word addiction it gives an important idea, from this point of view, according to which, with respect to the phenomena concerning addictions, none of us can consider ourselves safe. What does it mean? It means that we are all free, the possibility of choosing exists, but once a problem develops, this possibility disappears. There are numerous evaluations, including clinical ones, of neuroimaging on the encephalon, on the brain, which demonstrate that these aspects exist. Precisely because we are born free, our task is to try to keep ourselves free. Our institutional task, as political decision makers, should be this, that is, the ability to maintain the freedom of the individual, also by warning him with adequate information, without subterfuge, without mystification. We should be able, as political decision-makers, to give a signal of non-ambivalence on these issues."
This is what was declared by the M5S deputy, Andrew Quartini (in the photo), during the illustration in the Chamber of the Chamber of the urgent interpellation he first signed which asked "what initiatives within their competence the Ministers questioned intend to undertake to ensure, through subsequent measures, the fulfillment by the State of the constitutionally protected duty to protect health, safeguarding the specific competences of the Ministry of Health, the independent role of the Gambling Observatory as well as the functions of the municipalities and regions, also strengthening the ban on advertising promotion of gambling and counteracting the social and economic impoverishment of the population".
“That said, when we talk about gambling, we are talking about a contradiction in terms, because gambling should not be considered a game. Gambling is gambling. There is a semantic scam here when it comes to gambling. It's a major plague: there are at least 18 million people who take risks; over 5 million in our country are so-called habitual players, who can also be defined as particularly at risk; and there are around 1 and a half million problem gamblers. Therefore – continued Quartini -, we have an absolutely extraordinary area in terms of the dimension of the phenomenon. This is an area we should be concerned about. Consider that approximately 80 percent of the total spending on gaming (meaning the played and not the spending, which is given by the played minus the winnings, ed.) amounts - let's think about the dimensions of this aspect - to 136 billion euros every year. I repeat, it amounts to 136 billion euros every year. It's the largest non-manufacturing enterprise we have in this country. And where does this 80 percent weigh? Precisely on habitual gamblers, those at risk, and on problem gamblers. These are staggering figures. It's an incredible thing and after the pandemic they grow absolutely incessantly.
Obviously, it is a significant market that is attractive to many criminal organizations. We have seen in the anti-mafia commissions, in the reports, how criminal organizations infiltrate and even use the so-called - another semantic scam - "lawful gambling" to get around the obstacle that gambling is prohibited, because it causes problems of public order. Criminal organizations – added the deputy – use legal gaming channels for money laundering and other dirty deals. Naturally, among the most worrying data at this stage is the impact that gambling can have on young people. And this phenomenon is having very worrying dimensions. It is estimated that 29 percent of underage students have gambled at least once a year in so-called legitimate games, 3,5 percent are at-risk gamblers and 3 percent are already problem gamblers. We are talking about our future as a country, we are talking about our young people. The social cost of this phenomenon is enormous and is all on the shoulders of families, local authorities and mayors. About the game online we have even more worrying data. The Higher Institute of Health notes that, among the players online, the percentage of players without problems is halved, compared to in-person gaming, from 75 to 34 percent, in favor of other risk profiles. Of particular interest is the fact that problem gamblers, in the game online, rise from 7,3 percent of the total players to 25 percent; as well as the percentage of players at risk, which goes from 6 and 9 percent to 20 percent. Games online they are played mostly on tablets, PC, smartphone, and we know that on smartphone the volume of activity, approximately 80 percent, essentially concerns young people. Indeed, there are requests to get used to playing even for minors: we think there are 2.000 App based on the idea of a game where you win small prizes, from lollipops to funfairs, with seductive sounds and children are very receptive to these; out of 2.000 App, 9 are suitable for children. Therefore, the perception of risk is lowered and even children are involved in a process of initiation into a sort of mass gambling. This aspect must absolutely be taken into consideration.
Recently - Quartini recalled -, a Government act was approved regarding the reorganization of the gaming sector, starting from remote gaming, which is the subject of this question. This provision absolutely does not contain coherent and adequate provisions to respect the objectives of protecting vulnerable subjects and preventing gambling disorders, since it introduces a series of measures which, in fact, increases the power and profit of private concessionaires, inhibiting the control systems on market growth, risks and negative phenomena on a health, social and pedagogical level. There are some dangers already inherent in the title itself, because choosing the words "reorganization of the game", in terms of psychological conditioning - and not only -, almost means normalizing gambling, which is forbidden to minors and clearly identified in the law as a risk factor for public order, health and psychological well-being, and assimilate it to actual games, which are instead indispensable for the growth of younger people. What derives from a cultural attitude of this type, which does not place attention or alert particular on gambling, is a lowering of the perception of risk, President, and, on a market level, an increase in exposure to risk and gambling disorder. So, the result of this step backwards compared to the previous regulations, which also provided for a restriction on the possibility of advertising gambling games, is the increase in profits from good company for private individuals, while the economic and social costs, often inestimable, will be made to pay for by the community, with a sort of bad company which, beyond any ethical consideration, also represents a burden and financial damage to the treasury.
“I believe that in no case – highlighted the deputy – the hypothesis of the reintroduction of a system of advertising promotion of gambling can be consistent with the need to protect the most vulnerable subjects, but rather constitutes a violation of the duties of protection of the population and its rights by the institutions. Moreover, in the same decree, there is a sort of dismantling with respect to the possibilities of control and intervention by the municipalities and regions in the drafting of laws and resolutions to protect citizens, this despite the fact that they are municipalities and regions closest to the territorial manifestations of the phenomenon and the first affected by the damage that this gambling phenomenon causes. It also appears, President, a wrong, I would say wicked, choice to effectively dismantle a monitoring and consultation body such as the Gambling Observatory, set up at the Ministry of Health, which is replaced by a permanent gaming council games admitted in Italy - we speak again of "public games admitted in Italy" -, in which private entities appear, in clear conflict of interests. I believe this is a unique case in the panorama of similar organs. Finally - and it pains me - what remains of the public function of protecting the player's health is a vocation, in relation to this aspect, of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, a functional distortion, considering that the impact and costs of the provisions of this decree will in any case fall on the National Health Service.
So, in this logic, the question asks the Minister what strategies the Ministry of Health intends to adopt to prevent gambling from being made the subject of advertising promotion; what it intends to do to rebalance the powers of the State regarding the protection of constitutionally protected assets compared to the role of private managers; how it intends to prevent the dismantling of the Gambling Observatory, or the adulteration of its specific institutional structure and function, and how it intends to ensure that municipalities and regions have the possibility of control and intervention through local regulations aimed at protecting the health of citizens. Finally, he asks what he intends to do to safeguard the competences of the Ministry of Health in the field of pathological gambling and to prevent the strengthening of the role and profits of good company of private individuals and the social and economic impoverishment of the population, already subject to the risk of usury due to the increased cost of mortgages and high inflation", concluded Quartini.
Following the response of the Undersecretary for Health, Marcello Gemmato, Quartini added: "Thank you, Undersecretary, for the response with which we cannot be absolutely satisfied because, given that we are talking about gaming, what has happened is a dirty game, from all points of view view, especially that of prevention and the possibility of increasing awareness and perception of risk with respect to a social plague that is of gigantic dimensions. This aspect is absolutely not acceptable in general terms. Another aspect that is absolutely not satisfactory is the de facto abdication by the Ministry of Health of a fundamental role it had. This too is not acceptable and this, President, allow me, I am particularly saddened by this, because I had also raised the problem with President Fontana to whom I asked why, on such a significant problem, such an important social plague, of gigantic dimensions , President, because earlier when I spoke about the 18 million gamblers, the 5 million-odd problem gamblers, the million and a half problem gamblers in significant and pathological terms, when I gave these numbers I didn't say that there 'is a multiplier of these numbers and in all international studies this multiplier is approximately 6. What does it mean is worth about 6? It means - and in this decree, unfortunately this type of attitude is repeated - that we should not worry exclusively about the player's health, but about the player multiplied by 6, which means his entire family and all his significant relationships , who find themselves involved in the vortex of gambling. An incredible multiplier, which if we were only referring to the million and a half, we are talking about at least 9 million citizens who are involved. We cannot overlook an importance of this type and not consider the importance of this decree being evaluated at least also in the context of the Social Affairs Commission, which is the one responsible for guaranteeing the constitutional right to health. There was no in-depth analysis, President, unfortunately, the response that President Fontana gave was absolutely unsatisfactory. He even said that, essentially, the limited provisions of the draft decree attributable to the Commission, 3 articles, were not such as to allow joint assignment. If a joint assignment cannot be made in this Parliament with respect to a problem that affects, from a health point of view, at least 6 million people, why have I only spoken about pathological gamblers, without neglecting everything else. Evidently, it means that in the opinion of the President of the Chamber the issue of health is marginal compared to tax revenues. Evidently, the Court of Auditors, which had a different opinion, is wrong because in December 2021 it essentially reiterated that the purposes of social protection and health protection are superior to tax revenue. Moving into the tragic reality of the phenomenon, President, only the President of the Chamber ignores what hits citizens hard: that is, half of the spending on gambling is supported by pathological and problematic behaviors which with the Balduzzi decree are paid for in the LEAs, Undersecretary, you he knows this better than me, certainly, because he has more experience than me within this Parliament.
The observatory on the gambling phenomenon which, coincidentally, had been moved from the MEF to the Ministry of Health several years ago, after a long battle for civilization, was substantially crippled or sterilized. Do we realize this? It was brought back into the care of the MEF, with the risks of conflict of interest, and is also supported by the system of concessionaires, a system that has decided to dramatically expand its market, defining new targets: children and women's games, a game that previously it was the exclusive prerogative of men, of males. If you want, I can read you the White Paper of the gambling system, which defines the economic system and which establishes promoting greater inclusion of the female community, spreading gaming education to schools, breaking down negative stereotypes, through programs who use gaming as a training activity - another manipulation -, include gaming in the school curriculum, recognize video games as an art form. I repeat, future generations are being conditioned to mass gambling with this type of market. If nothing is done, I don't know what could happen tomorrow.
There remains an inconsistency and inadequacy of the provision, Undersecretary. You said that an operation of self-limitation of the player, of self-exclusion, is carried out, that this aspect is encouraged. Certainly, but it had already been established, in some way, how important it was to do this; at the same time, it is absolutely reductive. It's like asking an alcoholic to drink less. Her problem is that he can't drink less, if he could, he would. No one becomes an alcoholic to hurt themselves and it is obvious that they hurt themselves. It's the same, it's the same reasoning we could do with the player. Therefore, the idea of self-limitation or even of entrusting those whose 80 percent of their earnings derive from problem gamblers - the conflict of interest is evident - cannot be enough with the idea of intervening to protect their health. I believe that this idea is at a level of science fiction hypothesis, because they have to look after their own interests, it is inevitable and it is legitimate that they do so. The point is that the State abdicates health protection and this is not acceptable! The idea was even included that, to limit the risk of money laundering, beyond the limit of 100 euros, top-ups cannot be made in cash, but a system traceable with credit cards must be used. This has also been introduced, President. But what does it take to get around it? I make 7 or 8 top-ups of 99 euros and I'm done and I still recycle the same in cash. But common sense is being mocked here... I believe that we are faced with a real ethical and pedagogical massacre. I feel anger towards those who taught a population of savers to squander everything, towards those who induced a country, which chose family and youth as the pillar of the future, to sacrifice future generations with the risk of mass gambling. The Guernica tapestry comes to mind. It is said that a resentful Nazi officer asked Picasso threateningly: did you create this horror? The answer was: no, it's your work."
Following the intervention of MP Quartini, the President of the Chamber spoke, George Mule (FI-PPE): "Honorable Quartini, not to point out, but I would like to point out that the determination of the President of the Chamber to which you referred is the result, as always happens in these cases, of an analysis of the Rules of Procedure and a rigorous application of what is indicated, not of what the President of the Chamber thinks, but what the Rules and practice have imposed in the case to which you referred. Thank you, anyway."
