A Maori public health adviser has commented on gambling-related harm, saying that the wider public does not get the bigger picture when it comes to possible negative consequences that could be brought to communities as a result of compulsive gambling.
As reported by Waatea News.com, David Frost from Hāpai the Hauora said that gambling addiction often remains faceless, which is one of the main reasons why people are not very well aware of the detrimental impact which such a problem could have on their lives. Mr. Frost commented on the recent decision of the Rawene Masonic Hotel’s owner to give up from all poker machines situated in the hotel’s gambling area after a young mother had left her baby alone in front of the venue, saying that the case finally “put a human face” on the addiction, which is usually a silent one.
According to the Maori public health adviser, bureaucracy is one of the main causes of the information put out by New Zealand’s gaming regulator Internal Affairs not to reach the wider public. He also added that it was not easy to sum up the gambling losses generated by local communities.
Mr. Frost explained that one of the main problems is the fact that statistics are not really showing the community the devastating effects of problem gambling when such information is released by the regulatory authorities. He also revealed that the biggest Maori public health organisation on the territory of New Zealand, Hāpai the Hauora, is working on a special tool which could bring such information to light in order to make organisations, communities and players more aware of the harmful effects of gambling, so that they all start forging adequate strategies and plans to tackle gambling-related harm.
More Clarity on Gambling-Related Harm Needed
As revealed by Mr. Frost in an interview with Waatea News.com, the figures released by Internal Affairs show that the gambling revenue generated in 2017 in Northland alone was estimated at no less than NZ$32.8 million, with the amount representing an increase of NZ$1.1 million in comparison to the result posted a year earlier.
Earlier in 2018, Hāpai the Hauora has tried to bring more clarity to the issues associated with gambling-related harm, and especially the negative effects that could be linked to web-based products offered by the Lotteries Commission. That was the time when the local Maori organisation warned about the potential risks that are brought by such products to New Zealanders. The organisation also said that country’s authorities and communities should work to tackle the negative impact that gambling could have on people’s lives.
Hāpai the Hauora has not been the only organisation which calls for more attention to be paid on spreading gambling addiction in the country. Back in January 2018, the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand also raised a red flag about the dangers related to certain forms of gambling.
- Author
Daniel Williams
