Research conducted with resources from the New South Wales Responsible Gambling Fund has found that there is a correlation between gambling harm among children and parental behaviour. Out of the hundreds of parents who participated in the survey and admitted they had gambled in the past twelve months, nearly 70% told researchers that their children had been present during gambling sessions. Furthermore, 27% confirmed that their children had participated in lotteries or partaken in other gambling activities.
The biggest factor that contributes toward problem gambling among children is parents enabling or not preventing them from doing so, the study has found. Moreover, survey participants did not consider gambling or gaming activities resembling wagering to be as serious as other issues. Parents were, therefore, not as willing to talk with their children about such matters.
Due to these results, as well as findings that video games with gambling-like elements are popular among youth, the NSW Government has called for parents to take a proactive approach toward educating their children about gambling as well as work toward exposure prevention. To assist parents in achieving this, GambleAware NSW has launched a campaign offering guidance in the form of videos, fact sheets, and more, which include further information on what it has identified as the core factors that play a role in children’s attitudes toward gambling.
Kaitlyn Sturges, Community Engagement Officer at Gamble Aware in South-Western Sydney, stressed that parents need to be particularly mindful of the games that are popular among their children, seeing as some games include mechanics that resemble gambling. She also put an emphasis on the importance of gambling safety education and how it can help adolescents “make informed decisions.”
Gambling Ads and Youth
Although NSW has strict regulations regarding how wagering activities can be promoted, the inquiry has also shown that factors such as sports and gambling advertising, in particular, also play a role in how children perceive wagering. Furthermore, in February, the Australian Research Council published a study which found children found gambling to be fun and safe due to celebrities’ endorsements of sports betting and casino games.
In Victoria, gambling’s effect on youth has been a concern as well. The issue has been so widespread, in fact, that in February, it was revealed that numerous parents have reached out to the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) because their children had been wagering without being detected. Many of the said parents have also asked for the regulator to prohibit the promotion of gambling, according to VGCCC CEO Annette Kimmitt.
The topic of gambling ads has been of particular relevance in Australia as a whole. As previously reported by Casino Guardian, last year saw the publication of the “You win some, you lose more” report, which included a proposal for a total ban on online gambling adverts to be enforced across all of Australia. The Albanese Government has not yet moved forward with implementing this plan, however, and many entities have lobbied against it due to concerns about how it would affect Australian sports and broadcasting corporations.
- Author
Daniel Williams
