Gambling adverts have long been commonly spread in Australia and considering the fact that gambling has also been problematic across the country, a connection between these two issues is not surprising. Unfortunately, Australians are increasingly affected by the possible gambling-related harm and the rise in gambling addiction.
According to a recent study, more than one in ten residents of Canberra were affected by gambling addiction over the past 12 months. It is the Australian National University’s Centre for Gambling Research that commissioned the 2019 ACT Gambling Survey, the first major study of the gambling habits of Canberra residents since 2014.
According to the results of the research, 60% of the adults who live in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) participated in some form of gambling activity and their number was increasing. That increase in gambling participation and problem gambling rates is mostly due to the rising popularity of online gambling over the past five years since the last survey that was held in 2014.
According to a local expert, Marisa Paterson, gambling was seen by the broader public as an activity which is having a negative impact, but it was researchers who see that local people are actually highly-engaged in it. Dr Peterson further noted there has been a significant link between gambling and marketing and advertising, much of which is specifically aimed at luring male ACT residents to gamble. She noted that men have been targeted by the marketing and advertising campaigns of gambling operators systematically over the past 10 years, a trend which has had a detrimental impact on such people.
Large Money Losses Are Usually Associated with Problem Gambling
According to the information revealed by the survey, gamblers in Canberra have been inclined to lose more money on an annual basis through scratchcards, lottery tickets, horse racing, sports betting and so-called poker machines, also known as pokies.
Unfortunately, money is not the only aspect of gambling-related harm inflicted on individuals and their families. Researchers have said that people usually focus only on the large amounts of money involved in gambling when highlighting the social harms of gambling. Problems, however, are usually much more serious and start earlier than the time when the individuals have already entered spiralling debts associated with gambling.
Canberra-based clubs, pubs and other entities where certain forms of gambling are allowed, have often been blamed for the easy accessibility to gambling, as such venues have been found to rely on so-called pokies as a source of revenue.
In fact, Canberra has long been associated with measures aimed at tackling social problems which have become widespread among local people. Now, gambling has been considered as part of these social harms, so it is obvious that something needs to change in Canberra so that local residents are efficiently protected against gambling-related harm.
- Author
Daniel Williams
