Responsible Gambling Interventions
There has been a lot of media coverage recently surrounding the issue of gambling and problem gambling. It has been turned into a political issue by the Federal parties who are jostling for vital votes and lobby groups with their own agendas trying to sway public opinion.
Before considering such interventions it is important to understand the behaviour of a problem gambler. After all, they are the people that these harm minimisation strategies are targeting, aren’t they?
Therefore, is the answer to remove a percentage of poker machines, to remove ATM’s from gaming venues, to reduce the denomination of money that a gambler can insert into a machine, to ban smoking in gaming venues? Do drug users stop taking drugs when their drug dealer stops supplying them drugs or when the price of drugs goes because the police intercept a large shipment of illegal drugs? NO.
If the amount of money (denomination) that a gambler can insert into a gaming machine is reduced – or if notes can no longer be inserted into gambling machines – problem gamblers will sit there for however long is required to insert the same amount of money – recreational gamblers cannot be bothered sitting there for that long to insert the money.
If a venue shuts at 3am because of the mandatory shut down, problem gamblers will gamble faster before the venue closes, go to Star City (open 24 hours) or gamble at an online casino.
So how can gaming venues and government help reduce the effects of problem gambling on the individual and the other 5-10 people they affect? They can provide practical restrictions and assistance to gamblers and their families. Problem gambling will always exist as long as blackjack, poker machines, TAB, Keno, etc remain legal.
Currently NSW legislation does not require gaming venues to ban a patron if they advise a member of staff that they have a gambling problem. This means that if I approach a gaming attendant in most NSW clubs or pubs, advise them that I have a gambling problem, by law they can allow me to continue gambling at the venue. The legislation should be amended to require all gaming venues to involuntarily exclude a patron if they admit to having a gambling problem.
