Gambling
The City of Whittlesea is among the Victorian
municipalities with the highest rates of problem
gambling21 , the equivalent of nearly $700 for every adult in
the area. Across the community, we know that most people
do not use poker machines. Indeed, recent figures suggest
that only about 20% of the population uses poker machines
in any given year22. This means that on average, those who
do use the machines are losing about $3500 each per year.
impacted by gambling include loss of household or personal
money, anger and violence and neglect. The issues
highlighted in the report, coincide with responses from this
survey where of those who indicated a household member
had gambled, 75% said that the gambling affected their
capacity to meet basic household needs: 40% sometimes
being unable to meet basic needs and 35% frequently being
unable to meet household needs23.
Over 7% of survey respondents indicated that a member of
their household has gambled regularly within the last 12
months, with losses more than they can afford. However,
problem gambling, especially for those seeking emergency
relief as a result of their addiction, is not easy to disclose.
0.7% of the state’s population is made up of problem
gamblers. If we apply this ratio to the City of Whittlesea,
there are 1,310 problem gamblers in the municipality. Only
10% of these problem gamblers seek help, meaning only
131 people in Whittlesea are likely to seek help for a
gambling addiction. It is likely that the underrepresentation
of people presenting with problem gambling as their causing
factor for needing ER is due to the stigma attached to
problem gambling. Individuals are far more likely to present
seeking assistance with food, bills or housing expenses due
to inadequate income, rather than disclose that assistance is
being sought because there is problem gambling occurring
in the household. Of those that identified gambling losses
in their household in the 2014 survey, 80% stated that
more than $100 per fortnight is lost as a result of gambling.
Between 2010 and 2014, more survey respondents are
losing more money to gambling. Across this period, there
has been an approximate 12% increase in those
experiencing financial losses of $50 or more per fortnight as
a result of gambling. In 2014, 90% reported losing more
than $50 per fortnight, compared to 78% in 2010 –
significant when you consider that the average family
income of survey respondents was less than $600 per week.
There is now consistent international evidence that
suggests problem gambling is associated with intimate
partner violence (IPV). The study by the AGRC revealed that
over one-third of people with gambling problems report
being the victims of physical IPV (38%) or the perpetrators
of physical IPV (37%), whilst 11% of perpetrators of IPV
report gambling problems. Furthermore, over half of people
with gambling problems (56%) report perpetrating physical
violence against their children24.
100%
80%
21
22
Gambling from a Public Health Perspective (2009) Department of Justice.
Ibid.
78.2%
2014
60%
40%
21.6%
20%
10%
0%
<$50 losses per fortnight
$50+
Gambling
“The ER that is needed is mainly due to
the effects of problem gambling…. These
problems did not exist before gambling
venues. I am still affected by gambling”
When asked about the type of gambling undertaken by a
household member who had gambled in the preceding 12
months, 75%, or 3 in 4, indicated they played pokies at a
local gambling venue.
A research report by the Australian Gambling Research
Centre (AGRC) highlighted that the impact of gambling
problems on families can be significant. It often extends
beyond the individual and their partner but may also have
an impact on children, friends and other family members.
The report showed that common challenges for households
90%
2010
23
Dowling Nicki, 2014, AGRC Discussion Paper No 1, The impact of gambling
problems on families.
24
WHIN (2015) Fact Sheet
http://www.whin.org.au/images/PDFs/FViolence/Factsheets2014/FV_Facts
heet02-Whittlesea.pdf
18