Internet gambling addicts seek help in Shanghai shelter

A halfway house for young gambling addicts opened in Shanghai, China, and accepted its first three clients this week. The shelter aims to help rehabilitate minors who have become addicted to Internet gambling.

The shelter, which is modeled on a similar clinic in Hong Kong, was created in response to the increasing number of gamblers in China, a figure some say has passed the 14 million mark.

The shelter provides counseling services via in-house psychiatrists and social workers who help reconcile minors with their parents and facilitate proper methods of communication.

The mostly teenage clients are able to stay at the shelter for one night, with up to four teens housed at one time. Most clients arrive at the shelter after workers find them competing online at local Internet bars.

The creation of the country's second shelter is part of a larger plan to help lower the amount of Internet gambling addicts in China. In early March 2006, the Internet Society of China's Internet News Service Work Committee announced that China's top Internet providers had pledged to self-regulate gaming content among other "unhealthy" content.

News Added: 25 August, 2006

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