Games involving luck need controls and better prevention measures in Switzerland, a campaign organisation says.
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More than 120,000 people in the country play such games like the lottery and slot machines to excess and often end up in debt, according to Addiction Info Suisse.
The organisation is targeting the German-speaking part of the country, where no prevention measures are in place. Steps could include limiting the number of games, advertising and access.
It intends to propose concrete measures for prevention to the ten German-speaking cantons to enforce over the coming years. In the French-language region, posters have already gone up to warn about the risks and a website has been launched.
The organisation says the risk of addiction is not widely known and the dangers are underestimated.
It adds that the internet allows people 24 hour access and involvement in games of chance on the web has “exploded”. Draconian steps such as criminal proceedings for those who organise illegal games could be a form of control.
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.