Online Gambling, Mental Revolution and Social Cohesion

Photo By Andry Winarko VOI

JAKARTA – Gambling is one of the diseases of society that can be said to be "old". Since its inception, gambling in various forms of games has seemed difficult to eradicate. Entering the digital era, gambling does not want to be outdone and has also "evolved" with the name online gambling.

In fact, online gambling can be said to be increasingly gaining ground and gripping all levels of society. Why not, if conventional gambling has to be done secretly, online gambling can actually be played anytime and anywhere without the worry of being caught by the authorities.

In Indonesia alone, the Online Gambling Eradication Task Force has data that at least four million people are online gamblers. Head of the Task Force, Hadi Tjahjanto, revealed that based on age profiling of online gambling players, 40 percent (1,640,000) were aged 30-50 years, 34 percent (1,350,000) were over 50 years old, 13 percent (520,000) were aged 21- 30 years old, 11 percent (440,000) are aged 10-20 years and sadly two percent (8,000) are children under 10 years old.

According to social and public policy observer Bahren Nurdin, in the current digital era technology has become an inseparable part of everyday life. Unfortunately, like a double-edged sword, technological progress also brings its own challenges to Indonesian society.

One example is online gambling which is increasingly widespread in society. Online gambling, with its ease of access via devices, has created a complex social dilemma. On the one hand, the digital revolution promises progress and efficiency in various aspects of life, but the online gambling phenomenon actually threatens the social cohesion that has long existed in society.

“Social cohesion, which is the glue in interactions between individuals and groups in society, is now facing a tough test. "Online gambling not only has an impact on the individual perpetrator, but also penetrates the smallest unit of society, namely the family," said Bahren in a written statement, Saturday 22 June 2024.

"Recently, we often hear stories about households that are falling apart due to one of the members falling into the trap of online gambling. "There are wives who burn their husbands, children who kill their parents or perpetrators who commit suicide," he continued.

Apart from that, the impact of online gambling is now starting to be felt at the community level. Trust between citizens begins to erode when cases of fraud and theft emerge, which are often triggered by the need to cover debts resulting from online gambling. This certainly threatens social cohesion or harmony which has long been a characteristic of Indonesian society.

Bahren said, there are several steps that can be taken to prevent the threat that online gambling poses to social cohesion in society. First, the active role of civil society and educational institutions in building strong digital literacy. The public, especially the younger generation, needs to be provided with a comprehensive understanding of the risks of online gambling and its impact on social life.

Second, the revitalization of local wisdom values ​​that uphold togetherness and mutual cooperation needs to be encouraged. Strengthening social ties through community activities can be a bulwark against the temptation of online gambling.

Third, providing positive and productive alternative activities, especially for young people, can be an effective strategy. The development of technology-based creative industries can be a forum for channeling positive energy as well as opening up new economic opportunities.

He emphasized that this online gambling challenge is a momentum to reflect back on the direction of technological development and its impact on the social order. Because, it is time for both the government and society to ensure that technological progress must be in line with strengthening social cohesion.

“Through collective awareness and real action, we can turn this technology that once backfired into a tool for unifying and building civilization. "In this way, we can ensure that social cohesion is maintained amidst the rapid flow of digitalization, making Indonesia a nation that is resilient in facing the challenges of the digital era," explained Bahren.

Mental Revolution Can Counter Online Gambling

Illustration of Mental Revolution (Unsplash)

The Indonesian people actually already have one solution to face the grip of online gambling, namely the mental revolution that was launched by the Proclaimer of Indonesian Independence, Bung Karno. Bahren believes that the teachings of mental revolution, which have as their core an effort to change the nation's way of thinking, attitudes and behavior so that they are more integrated, disciplined and oriented towards the common good, are still relevant to the current situation.

Because, Bung Karno's teachings emphasized the importance of strong character and high morality as the basis for building an advanced and just nation. One way is through discipline and economic independence:

“Online gambling is the antithesis of these values. "With this mental revolution, it is hoped that society will be able to develop a disciplined attitude in managing finances and avoid the temptation to seek instant profits through online gambling," he added.

Another value of the mental revolution is social concern and togetherness. Bahren sees online gambling as a form of egoism that is detrimental to many people. Therefore, by instilling the values ​​of caring and togetherness, it is hoped that society can look after each other and prevent actions that are detrimental to each other.

However, implementing a mental revolution in the context of eradicating online gambling requires concrete steps from various parties, starting from education, strengthening the law and empowering the community's economy.

"Once again, no less important is the active role of the community in monitoring and reporting online gambling actions or activities in their surroundings. "Active community participation is the key to creating sustainable change," stressed Bahren.

Gambling Addict Rehabilitation

On the other hand, an online gambling perpetrator or addict can actually still be "saved" through the rehabilitation process. Quoted from the gamblershelp-com.au page, University of Melbourne neurologist Jared Cooney Horvath explains how to rehabilitate online gambling addicts.

Illustration of Online Games

He revealed that when someone wins at gambling, the brain releases a chemical called dopamine which makes him feel good. However, when you gamble frequently, the brain becomes accustomed to dopamine, which makes the feeling of winning difficult to achieve. As a result, people may have to gamble more to experience the same level of enjoyment.

“Some gambling products, such as pokies and roulette, make us feel like we're winning, even though we're not. This encourages us to keep gambling to try to recapture that feeling of winning,” he said.

According to Jared, gambling may seem interesting especially if the person is new to it. The idea of ​​winning activates the pleasure center in the brain, making you feel very happy. However, when you gamble frequently, activity in this part of the brain will begin to decrease. In essence, one has to bet much more to get the same pleasure that once came so easily.

Furthermore, if gambling is no longer fun and a person begins to chase the feelings they once experienced, this could be a sign that the person is addicted to gambling. He emphasized that it is important to understand how gambling affects a person, because the more you understand, the easier it is to change it.

Jared explained, when you win at gambling, the brain releases chemicals that make you feel great. However, if you gamble frequently, the same chemicals will be released when an addict nears accident.

“Basically, your brain is tricked into thinking that you have won and this encourages you to keep going, because practice makes perfect, right? Most gambling is not like sports or academics. No matter how hard you try or how much you practice, the odds will not change," he said.

He stated, in the rehabilitation process for a gambling addict, it is important to always remember that the human brain is constantly changing. When a person learns something new, the brain changes to adapt. Likewise, when someone forgets how to do that, the brain changes so that it will forget.

This means that when a person gambles more and more often, the brain will begin to adapt until it reaches a habitual level or an addiction-like level. “That's why we have to always remember that the brain is always changing. Once we start changing our thoughts, our behavior, our actions, our brain can shift out of those patterns and suddenly the addiction starts to fade," added Jared.

He emphasized that it is never too late to eliminate the addictive effects of gambling. Because, the interesting and most important thing about the brain is that it continues to change until the moment a person dies. Therefore, it doesn't matter if someone has been gambling for 40 years, 4 years, 4 minutes, 400 years, once that person starts changing their thoughts and behavior, their brain will start changing the point at which a person loses that addiction.

“I think this is one of the most important things to know about addiction, even though it's reflected in the brain, it's not actually embedded in the brain. The brain undergoes changes that can help get rid of addiction, but the brain also goes through changes that help get rid of addiction and that's the only way we know how to stop this," concluded Jared.