SARAJEVO, December 4 (FENA) – One in four children aged 13 to 17 in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina engages in gambling, while citizens of the FBiH spent approximately 13 billion KM in betting shops from 2016 to 2023.

To address this issue and reduce the number of children and youth involved in gambling, the Association for Addiction Prevention NARKO-NE is implementing the preventive program “Who Actually Wins?” in high schools across the Sarajevo and Tuzla cantons.

Sanela Pekić from NARKO-NE highlighted at a conference in Sarajevo today that an evaluation of the program’s implementation in these cantons showed high effectiveness in strengthening protective factors among students, particularly in increasing correct knowledge about gambling and the gambling industry.

The key idea of the universal prevention program is to act before risky behavior manifests. A significant number of students expressed willingness to recommend participation in the program to their peers, recognizing its positive aspects and usefulness.

Despite legal prohibitions on betting shops operating within 100 meters of schools and religious institutions, this regulation is rarely enforced in practice.

While this issue is already significant, Professor Neven Ricijaš, one of the program’s authors in Croatia, emphasized the growing prevalence of online gambling, which is expected to increase in the coming period.

Ricijaš pointed out that women are more inclined to online gambling, while men typically prefer gambling in casinos and betting shops.

Unlike substance addiction, gambling addiction is considered a hidden addiction and is often recognized when it is too late. Ricijaš noted that 10 percent of individuals who start gambling will develop an addiction.

Marko Romić, a specialist in trauma psychology who works with individuals suffering from addiction, explained that pathological gamblers often hide their problem.

It is usually wives, mothers, and daughters who seek help for their family members. Recently, there has also been a rise in the number of women reporting gambling addiction.

Given these challenges, NARKO-NE plans to include more schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina in gambling prevention efforts.

Preventive programs must be comprehensive, targeting all key groups and implemented across multiple settings simultaneously (schools, media, families, workplaces, and legislative systems).

Prevention efforts should be continuous, planned, and systematic rather than one-off ad hoc activities, which often do more harm than good for children and youth.

“Who Actually Wins?” is the only scientifically validated gambling prevention program in Europe. With the support of the Institute for Youth Development KULT, NARKO-NE has obtained a license for its implementation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, stated the Association for Addiction Prevention NARKO-NE.