By KWON KYONGSUK/ Staff Writer
May 10, 2020 at 14:02 JST
A pachinko parlor is open in Yokohama on May 7 after it had shut down for weeks following a state of emergency over the new coronavirus pandemic issued by the government early last month. Bottles of disinfectants are placed at the entrance of the parlor. (Shuya Iwamoto)
Seventy percent of former gambling addicts said they would have wagered away the new coronavirus emergency cash payouts if they had received the cash before they had overcome their addictions, a survey showed.
The results of the survey, released May 8 by the Society Concerned About the Gambling Addiction, a Tokyo public interest incorporated association, showed that people with a gambling problem might use the money to feed their addictions.
The government decided last month to issue lump sum payments of 100,000 yen ($937) to every man, woman and child, as well as foreign residents, to help them weather the health crisis.
“I am concerned about a possible backlash” from people who had refrained from gambling, said Noriko Tanaka, president of the society. “If gambling venues are open again and they have the cash to spend, some may go on wagering sprees.”
Pachinko parlors and other venues have been asked by local authorities to shut down to help stem the spread of the pandemic after the government declared a state of emergency last month.
But in areas with a small number of confirmed infections, some pachinko parlors and gambling venues have reopened.
In the survey, conducted on the internet on May 6-7, the society received responses from 216 former gambling addicts who are involved in the society’s activities.
Asked about the emergency payout to each person, 47 percent replied that they would have used the 100,000 yen for gambling if they received it while they still were addicted.
Twenty-three percent said they would have gambled away the handouts for them and even for their family members if they received the cash while they still had an addiction.
When asked what they would have done if pachinko parlors in their neighborhood had been closed, 60 percent said they would have looked for similar establishments open in other prefectures.
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