The workshop is being organised by the Betting Gaming & Lotteries Commission (BGLC), regulator for gambling in Jamaica, in partnership with RISE Life Management Services (RISE) and the Council of Voluntary Social Services (CVSS).

“This underage gambling prevention workshop is another step in implementing our strategy to build a culture of responsible gambling in Jamaica,” explained Vitus Evans, executive director of the BGLC.

“The commission’s responsible gambling vision is for a Jamaican society in which gambling providers apply principles of responsible gambling in the delivery of their services, and that problem gambling and the potential harms of gambling have a minimal negative impact.”

Underage gambling is acknowledged as a serious societal issue, based on the results of a study that revealed that Jamaican children are increasingly at risk of participating in underage gambling.

The Betting Gaming and Lotteries Act states that it is illegal for anyone to entice or facilitate a child’s participation in gambling.

BGLC provides 100 per cent funding for the national programmes for gambling harm prevention and treatment, and responsible gaming — which are executed on its behalf by RISE.

“The only study on gambling among Jamaican children and adolescents, conducted in 2007, indicated that one in every five Jamaican youth may have or be at risk for developing a gambling-related issue,” said Nadine Chambers Goss, executive director of RISE.

“It cannot be business as usual regarding the prevention of underage gambling; our efforts must be intensified,” added Chambers Gross.

She argued that, “The workshops are a critical complement to the school-based, underage gambling prevention education and training programme which RISE executes in schools, with funding from the BGLC.

“RISE provides training for guidance counsellors and peer educators to build their awareness and equip participants with gambling prevention techniques. Through these workshops, parents are also able to be a part of the necessary defence against the potential harms of gambling for Jamaica’s children.”

The online workshop, the second of a three-part series, brings into focus the need to prevent underage gambling as children are increasingly engaged in online activities.

The novel coronavirus pandemic saw the phenomena of scores of Jamaican children often left unsupervised, resulting in them being exposed, sometimes unwittingly, to gambling opportunities served up by operators introducing an array of gambling options that are easily accessible online.

“The CVSS is pleased to partner with the BGLC and RISE to present these workshops which will equip parents with the tools to have effective conversations with their children about the impact of gambling and where to seek help for those affected,” stated AnnMarie Kirlew Williams, project manager of CVSS.

“This is consistent with the CVSS’s role to promote social development through capacity building, knowledge enhancement, strategic alliances and resource mobilisation,” added Kirlew Williams.

The BGLC is an independent statutory body established under the provisions of the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Act to license, regulate and monitor the local gaming industry, facilitate its growth and development, and protect the public from unfair, unscrupulous and illegal activities.