Memorandum submitted by PROMIS Counselling
Centre
In response to your question "could Call
TV Quiz Shows become addictive," we would have to say a resounding
yes. Engaging in the process is effectively a form of gambling,
where the individual viewer risks the cost of the call (anything
from 60p to £1 per minute) in order to win the jackpot (anything
up to £100,000).
Call TV quiz shows are not so much about getting
the right answer, but rather about being one of thousands with
the right answer who may or may not win.
Therefore it is largely chance, not personal
merit, which is rewarded. A viewer may repeat this process over
and over again for the "flutter" which it provides,
and the programme colludes with their fantasy that their feelings
and circumstances could be radically transformed in the "instant
fix" of a win.
Invariably, gambling addicts are people who
are not facing up to life on life's terms, which often includes
the failure to earn a living or to embrace financial responsibility.
Television companies appear to be exploiting this vulnerability
in order to augment their own profits.
We frequently treat gambling addicts at Promis,
for whom the fantasy of personal transformation—as the result
of a large cash win—is particularly tenacious. However,
Call TV quiz shows are still a relatively new phenomenon, and
have not yet been identified as a serious problem, in the way
that online gambling has been.
16 November 2006
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