Amakhoboka Okungcakaza—Asoloko Engaphumeleli
“UKUKHOTYOKISWA kukungcakaza kusisifo njengokuba ukukhotyokiswa butywala naziziyobisi kusisifo,” watsho uNjingalwazi Jean Ades, waseFransi. Wathi: “Kukukhotyokiswa ngaphandle kokusebenzisa isiyobisi,” yaye “abantu abangakumbi nangakumbi bafumanisa ukuba bangamakhoboka.” Kwanasemva kokuba amakhoboka okungcakaza ephulukene nentywenka yemali, eyona nto ayicingayo kukubuyisa imali yawo etshonileyo ngokungcakaza nangakumbi. Omnye umcholacholi weendaba waseFransi wabhala: “Abantu abaninzi abangaphumeleliyo bayakhawuleza ukukwamkela ukuphoxeka kwabo. Kodwa abanye, baxolele ukujing’ iliso kunokuba bangangcakazi. Basoloko bezithembisa ngokuba baza kwahlukana nalo mkhwa, ube wona ungemanga de ube lukhwekhwe lwexhwili. Bangamakhoboka okungcakaza.”
Omnye umngcakazi waseMzantsi Afrika wavuma: “Ukuba ulikhoboka lokungcakaza, yaye uhleli ngakwivili le-roulette okanye ngakwitafile yokudlalela amakhasi, ayikho enye into oyikhathalelayo. Incindi yamadlala eyi-adrenalin ityhutyha imithambo yakho, ibe uya kubheja nangesenti yokugqibela onayo oku kokuba ujikelezise ivili okokugqibela, udlale umjikelo wokugqibela. . . . Ngoncedo lwe-adrenalin esaseleyo, ndinokuhlala ndithe qwa iintsuku eziliqela nobusuku bazo, ndijonge amakhasi neenombolo, yaye ndikhangele phambili ekufumaneni ibhaso elingayiwayo.” Wandula waqukumbela ngelithi: “Kukho abaninzi abafana nam lo abangenakuyeka kuba belahlekelwe ngamakhulu ambalwa okanye kwanangamawaka ambalwa eerandi. Siya kuqhubeka singcakaza de sibuye siphaca, yaye nolwalamano lweentsapho zethu luqhekeke ngendlela engenakungcibeka.”
UHenry R. Lesieur, unjingalwazi wezifundo ngoluntu eSt. John’s University, eNew York, wabhala wathi umnqweno wokungcakaza, uphumelela ungaphumeleli, unamandla “kangangokuba abangcakazi abaninzi kuqengqeleka iintsuku bengalali, bengatyi yaye bengayi nakwindlu yangasese. Bethe phithi thwanga kukungcakaza baziphosa kwelokulibala zonke ezinye iingxaki. Xa belindele umvuzo, baba ‘nehlombe,’ elidla ngokukhatshwa kukubila kwezandla, ukungongoza kovalo nesicaphucaphu.”
Omnye owayesakuba likhoboka lokungcakaza uyavuma ukuba ukuzuza ibhaso kwakungeyonto eyayimbangela aqhubeke nalo mkhwa, kodwa kunoko “yayilihlombe,” imincili ebangelwa kukungcakaza. Wathi: “Ukungcakaza kwenza ube neemvakalelo ezingaqhelekanga ezingalawulekiyo. Xa ivili le-roulette lijikeleza, xa kanye ulindele ukuwelwa Ngumqa Esandleni, kubakho isihlandlo apho uba nesiyezi uze uphantse ufe isiqaqa.” Omnye umngcakazi waseFransi uAndré uyavuma: “Xa ubheje ihashe ngee-FF10 000 [R7 500] kusasele iimitha ezili-100 lifike entanjeni, kuze kubekho ubani okuxelela ukuba umfazi wakho okanye unyoko ufile akusoze umnanze.”
UAndré uchaza indlela awakwazi ngayo ukuqhubeka nokungcakaza kwanasemva kokulahlekelwa yintywenka yemali. Wayeboleka imali ezibhankini, kubahlobo nakubantu ababolekisa ngemali enenzala eninzi. Wayesiba iitsheki aphathe kuqhatha kwimali ayivalela eposini. Xa ekwizindlu zokungcakaza wayeqhatha amabhinqa ahamba odwa aze emva koko aphel’ emehlweni neecredit card zawo. Lo mcholacholi weendaba waseFransi uAndré, wabhala: “Ngelo xesha, wayengazikhathazi ngokulungisa intlekele yemali awayekuyo. Wayesele elawulwa bobu bukhoboka bakhe.” Wabhenela kulwaphulo-mthetho yaye waphelela entolongweni. Umtshato wakhe wawuqhekekile.
Kwiimeko ezininzi amakhoboka okungcakaza, njengamakhoboka eziyobisi namakhoboka otywala, aqhubeka engcakaza, nangona oko kuwaphulukanisa nemisebenzi yawo, amashishini awo, impilo yawo, yaye ekugqibeleni, iintsapho zawo.
Kutshanje izixeko ezininzi eFransi ziye zakwamkela ukungcakaza. Apho amanye amashishini atshonileyo, ishishini eliboleka abantu imali baze bashiye isibambiso lihambela phambili. Abanini-mashishini bathi abangcakazi basoloko bephulukana nayo yonke imali ebebenayo baze babambise ngemisesane yabo, iiwotshi, iimpahla nezinye izinto zabo ezibalulekileyo ukuze bafumane imali yokuthenga ipetroli yokubuyela ekhaya. Kwiidolophu ezithile ezingaselunxwemeni eUnited States, kuvulwe iindawo ezintsha ezibolekisa ngemali; kwezinye iindawo usenokuzifumana zintathu okanye zine okanye ngaphezulu kwindawo enye.
Bambi bade babhenela kulwaphulo-mthetho ukuze baxhase umkhwa wabo wokungcakaza. Ngokutsho kukaNjingalwazi Lesieur, uhlolisiso olwenziweyo ukuza kuthi ga ngoku, “ludize iindlela ezingatshongo khona zamakhoboka okungcakaza . . . ukuqhatha ngetsheki, ukutya imali, ubusela, ukuphanga bexhobile, ukuqhatha kwimali ekubhejwe ngayo, ukuqweqwedisa, ukukhohlisa nokuthengisa izinto ezibiweyo.” Ukongezelela kwezi zinto lulwaphulo-mthetho lwaseziofisini apho aba bangcakazi bathi babele abaqeshi babo. Ngokutsho kukaGerry T. Fulcher, umalathisi weInstitute for the Education and Treatment of Compulsive Gamblers, ama-85 ekhulwini kumawaka amakhoboka okungcakaza avunyiweyo avuma ukuba ayababela abaqeshi bawo. Wathi: “Eneneni, kumba wemali, ukukhotyokiswa kukungcakaza kungaphezulu lee kunokukhotyokiswa butywala naziziyobisi kudibene.”
Uhlolisiso olubhekele phaya lwabonisa ukuba malunga namabini kwamathathu amakhoboka okungcakaza angazange avalelwe entolongweni nangama-97 ekhulwini kulawo ayekhe avalelwa entolongweni ayavuma ukuba ayekhe aphula umthetho ukuze abenemali yokungcakaza okanye yokuhlawula amatyala abangelwe kukungcakaza. Ngowe-1993 kwiidolophu ezikwiGulf Coast eUnited States, apho ukungcakaza okusemthethweni kuxhaphakileyo, iibhanki zaphangwa izihlandlo ezili-16, nani elo eliliphindaphinda kane elonyaka ongaphambi kwalowo. Enye indoda yaphanga iibhanki ezisibhozo imali emalunga nama-$89 000 (R323 000) ukuze iqhubeke nomkhwa wayo wokungcakaza. Ezinye iibhanki ziye zaphangwa ngabangcakazi abaxhobe ngemipu abanyanzeleke ukuba bahlawule intywenka yemali kwabo banamatyala kubo.
IThe New York Times ithi: “Xa amakhoboka okungcakaza ezama ukwahlukana nalo mkhwa, ayagula, ngokufana nqwa namakhoboka otywala okanye eziyobisi.” Noko ke, abangcakazi bayavuma ukuba ukoyisa umkhwa wokungcakaza kunokuba nzima gqitha kunokoyisa eminye imikhwa. Elinye ikhoboka lathi: “Abathile kuthi babekhe bangamakhoboka otywala nawokusebenzisa kakubi iziyobisi, yaye sonke siyavuma ukuba ukukhotyokiswa kukungcakaza kubi gqitha kunokukhotyokiswa zezinye izinto.” UGqr. Howard Shaffer, weCenter for Addiction Studies kwiHarvard University, wathi ubuncinane amakhoboka okungcakaza angama-30 ekhulwini aye azama ukuyeka “aye aneempawu zokucaphuka msinya okanye iingxaki zesisu, ukungalali kakuhle, uxinzelelo lwegazi olungaphezu kolwesiqhelo nokubetha ngamandla kwentliziyo.”
UGqr. Valerie Lorenz, umalathisi weNational Center for Pathological Gambling eBaltimore, eMaryland, eUnited States, wathi, kwanokuba ayaqhubeka ebheja amakhoboka “okungcakaza ajamelana neengxaki zempilo: iintloko ezibuhlungu ezingapheliyo, iintloko ezibuhlungu ngamaxesha athile, ukuphefumla nzima, isifo somqala obuhlungu, ukungabethi kakuhle kwentliziyo iingalo nemilenze endindisholo.”
Emva koko ayazibulala. Yintoni enokuba mbi ngaphezu kokuba oko ngokuqhelekileyo kwaziwa ngokuba “kukukhotyokiswa okungabulaliyo” kube ngunobangela wokufa? Ngokomzekelo, kwenye inqila yaseMerika, apho kuye kwavulwa khona izindlu zokungcakaza kutshanje, iThe New York Times Magazine yanikela le ngxelo: “Umlinganiselo wokuzibulala uye waphindaphindeka ngendlela engenakuchazwa, nangona kwakungekho gosa lezempilo elalikulungele ukuthi olo lwando lubangelwe kukungcakaza.” EMzantsi Afrika, abangcakazi abathathu bazibulala ngeveki enye. Inani labantu abazibulalayo ngenxa yokungcakaza okusemthethweni okanye okungekho mthethweni namatyala, alaziwa.
Ukuzibulala yindlela ebuhlungu yokwahlukana nesi sinama-ndokunamathela sikukungcakaza. Kwinqaku elilandelayo, khawuqwalasele indlela bambi abaye bahlukana ngayo nalo mkhwa.
[Amagama acatshulweyo akwiphepha 23]
Amashishini aboleka abantu imali baze bona bashiye isibambiso ahambela phambili—kunjalo nangolwaphulo-mthetho