NSW government launches campaign to highlight impacts of gambling

GambleAware is a program that offers free gambling and financial counselling, it's a three-component program based on education, awareness and support services.

GambleAware community coordinator Chantelle Haynes said education was vital to help people better understand that gambling is an addiction and that it can't just be stopped.

"It's also about learning how pokie machines and other gambling devices or apps are actually designed to get you addicted," Ms Haynes said.

"When they say 'gamble responsibly', that's quite offensive, because really you can't, they're created to control the way you think and change the way you think."

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Gambling counsellor Desiree Zeballos said the main group of people affected by gambling addictions were generally 18 to 30-year-olds.

"In Australia, it's a rite of passage to start gambling at 18," Ms Zeballos said.

"Most young people have their first gambling session at their 18th birthday party and if they get a big win, which often is the case, that's actually the worst thing that can happen for someone because then they want to recreate that all the time.

"And naturally, it's always down to chance. So the chances of that happening again are pretty random and yet they can get caught in that cycle at a very, very young age."

Ms Haynes said it was important to note however, that gambling addictions don't discriminate.

"Nobody is safe from the effects," she said.

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Nearly one in 10 gamblers in NSW are considered at risk of harm and this cohort accounts for 70 per cent of total gambling expenditure.

In Goulburn alone, the net profit from electronic gambling machines between July 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021 was more than $2.8 million.

The 2019 NSW Gambling survey also showed that residents of the Southern NSW region, which includes Goulburn, had a slightly higher gambling rate than the rest of NSW.

Ms Haynes said GambleAware wanted to educate teenagers still in school about the risks associated with gambling.

"We talk about the tobacco industry and where it was 40 years ago when people just started talking about the harms in their community," Ms Haynes said.

"That's kind of where we're now sitting, we're just starting to have conversations about how detrimental gambling can be."

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Ms Zeballos said other factors that influenced a person's likelihood to develop negative gambling patterns were their family history, trauma, mental health issues and substance abuse.

"So often the stories I hear in the counselling room are about some sort of background issue that has already happened," she said.

"People use gambling as a form of disconnection and to zone out. So when they're sitting in front of the pokie machine, they're effectively disengaging from their problems."

Ms Haynes said the danger of gambling addictions was their silent nature.

"If I had a drug addiction or an alcohol addiction, it's likely there would be some very visible signs but if I have a problem with gambling, it's very rare that you may know," Ms Haynes said.

The advertising campaign will run for three months on metropolitan and regional tv and radio.

There will also be a free information session for anyone in the community who would like to learn more about gambling harms and how they affect the community at the Goulburn Soldier's Club on Thursday, June 30 from 11am to 12.30pm.

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