JAKARTA: When the wife of Indonesian snack seller Surya asked why he stopped sending money home to his West Java village, he broke down, confessing to a gambling addiction that had cost him more than US$12,000.
"When I lost big I was determined to win back what I lost no matter what – even if I had to borrow money," the 36-year-old father of two told AFP, declining to use his real name.
Surya was earning up to four million rupiah a month in the West Java capital Bandung, but once he started gambling he was only sending a million home."Even when you're winning, the money will be gone instantly. Now, I'd rather give money to my wife," he said.
So far 19 addicts have received counselling and therapy for anxiety, paranoia, sleep disorders and suicidal thoughts, said Nova Riyanti Yusuf, director of the Marzoeki Mahdi Psychiatric Hospital."I believe this is the tip of the iceberg because not everybody understands that gambling addiction is a disorder," Nova told AFP.
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