Professionals accumulate debts, distract themselves in employment, suffer from insomnia and face conflicts and insulation
The addiction to online sports betting cost the seven -year equivalent on the commercial manager Gustavo Henrique’s Financial Reserve, 25. What started as a joke turned depending on: he admits that he had pretended to work while betting on his cell phone during the hours of office.
Shot less than a month ago, Gustavo now faces more than $ 80,000 in debt and a profusion of uncertainties. “It was the first time that I found myself dependent on something. I couldn’t stop me. I raise to block the bills from the bank, I have a rent to pay … I don’t know how it will be,” says the director.
The professional is one of the thousands of faces of “betting epidemic”, a term used by experts to describe the unbridled growth of the people involved in online sports betting.
The phenomenon already represents a large -scale problem and manifests itself in the work environment both in evident forms and in silent symptoms.
In Brazil, 54% of managers say that employees enjoy hours of rest, such as the lunch break, to bet. The information comes from a survey published this year by Creisas Benefits, in collaboration with Wellz di Wellhub and Opinion Box, who listened to 405 managers and human resources professionals.
On the impact on the work environment, 66% underline that addiction compromises the mental and physical health of employees. So the decline in productivity appears, with 59%, the increase in turnover, 21%and the worsening of the company’s reputation, 16%.
In seven months, Raissa has accumulated debts on seven banks, exploded all the cards and had to tell the family.
In January 2022, he decided to close the shop because he could no longer afford the monthly accounts. Since then, he has uninstalled betting applications and has returned to the formal labor market, which has been following for three years.
What is the responsibility of companies?
To avoid cases such as those illustrated in this matter, companies face the phenomenon of bets from a wider perspective of social responsibility, says Luciana Morilas, professor of law at Fea-RP/USP (Faculty of Economics, Administration and Accounting of Ribeirão Preto at the University of São Paulo).
Despite the dissemination of bets, Brazil does not yet have a law that directly regulates the use of sports betting in the workplace.
The regularization of the fixed bets of the shares, the bets, was sanctioned in December 2023, through law no. 14,790. However, the rule mainly deals with the taxation and functioning of the sector, without dealing with the conduct relating to the labor market.
As for layoffs due to bets during office hours, the teacher underlines that the company can shoot on the basis of criteria such as the violation of the conduct, the impact on performance or disciplinary issues, provided that the worker’s rights and the right legal process.
Experts listened to by the report point out that companies should adopt a preventive position in the face of the impacts of staff betting. The main recommendations include:
- Offer psychological support channels and listening
- Allow leaders to identify the signs of dependence
- Create internal policies and educational actions on the topic (financial education channel and conversation wheels)
- Avoid judgments and promote digital literacy
From the point of view of health, the CEO of Zenklub, Rui Brandão, underlines that betting dependence is a form of psychic suffering and that companies should deal with it as any other issue relating to mental health.
MaÃra Blasi estimates that the government is mainly responsible for making effective changes. “The government must create limits, without it, is difficult,” he concludes.
For Luciana Morillas, the government must also make the creation of wider laws, which include public health policies aimed at the treatment of dependence, prevention and standard mechanisms to protect the affected workers.
The report has contacted the Ministry of Labor and Employment to find out if there are policies or initiatives aimed at preventing or dealing with the impacts caused by online betting on the workplace.
He also questioned possible partnerships with other folders, such as health and justice, and if there is a specific inspection or regulation for the use of these platforms during office hours. Until the publication of this article, there was no response.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
