00:00 We can't use his real name, so we'll call him Elvir.
00:05 We can only film him from behind.
00:08 But even appearing on camera at all is a huge step for him.
00:13 For years, Elvir had a gambling addiction.
00:16 It started gradually, in school, 15 or 20 years ago.
00:22 After a while, I got into debt.
00:25 I borrowed money from everyone, neighbours, relatives, friends.
00:31 I ruined my life, my parents' lives, my two sisters, my brother-in-laws and his kids.
00:38 I ruined half my family. It's vicious. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
00:44 It started with bingo, Bosnia and Herzegovina's most popular game of chance.
00:52 Then he began betting on dog races.
00:55 There are casinos and betting shops on every corner here.
00:59 This is one of the betting shops I used to gamble at.
01:03 Two hours or more every day, until I had nothing left.
01:07 Two hours, sometimes a whole day.
01:10 At some point, you hit rock bottom. Ruined. Nothing left.
01:15 Our cameras are not allowed inside the casinos.
01:19 But the state lottery company finally agreed to give us an interview.
01:24 They operate casinos throughout the country.
01:27 But they won't let us film people gambling.
01:30 This scene is staged.
01:33 The company doesn't like to talk about people ruining their lives here.
01:37 They say the real problem is private competition.
01:44 The state lottery of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the only company in the whole country
01:49 that's been certified as a socially responsible casino operator.
01:53 None of our competitors are certified.
01:57 We should encourage our competitors to also introduce certified social standards.
02:02 That way, we could reduce the negative effects of gambling together.
02:07 The negative impact of gambling is massive.
02:10 In 2022, gambling generated almost 875 million euros in the Bosniak Croat entity alone.
02:17 Statistically, each adult Bosnian loses around one month's salary a year to gambling.
02:23 And that's a conservative estimate. The players are also getting younger.
02:28 The problem is lack of enforcement.
02:33 People under 18 are not allowed to bet.
02:37 Everywhere you look, the betting shops are full of young people.
02:42 Experts claim that the typical gambler is a married father, between 30 and 45 years old.
02:53 Finding themselves not earning enough to feed their families, they seek gambling as a way out.
03:00 Every day I work with people facing this problem.
03:06 Families in which gambling has become an addiction.
03:10 Every day I see lives ruined, families torn apart, people living with mental illness.
03:18 Psychologist Marko Romic estimates there are 50,000 people addicted to gambling in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
03:30 He's the only doctor in the whole country volunteering to help them.
03:34 Hardly anyone can afford treatment.
03:37 It's the same problem everywhere, and it's an absolute catastrophe.
03:43 We don't have enough resources to get a handle on the problem.
03:50 And unfortunately, the authorities here have no intention of changing that.
04:00 Now at least advertisements for gambling are to be restricted.
04:05 Romic started a self-help group 14 years ago.
04:09 It's still the only one in the whole country.
04:12 They meet anonymously every Friday.
04:15 Gambling addiction still holds a powerful stigma.
04:18 Everyone brings a family member along, because the families are also in urgent need of support.
04:24 Elvir has been coming here every Friday for six months.
04:27 He says it was like being reborn.
04:30 Ever since I met him, I've said, "First comes God, then the doctor."
04:37 That says it all.
04:39 Before, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, I was withdrawn.
04:43 I couldn't really talk, not even with my own family.
04:47 Now everything has changed.
04:49 I've opened up. I can talk to anyone. I feel better.
04:53 Elvir says the first months were tough, and the temptation lingers.
04:57 But he's learned to deal with it.
04:59 He has a good job, and for the first time, he says he's able to picture some kind of future.
05:05 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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