Gambling losses hit home

OBLEM gambling can result in gamblers losing their homes, as well as not having enough money for everyday essentials.
That was the message delivered at a forum held by Gambler’s Help at Leongatha Community House last Wednesday.
A small group of attendees heard of the significant losses to poker machines in South Gippsland Shire.
In 2016-17, $6.57 million was lost on the 105 machines at four venues, equating to an average of $18,016 a day.
Gambler’s Help community educator Lauren Sewell said problem gamblers face the real prospect of losing their homes by not being able to afford repayments.
“People with a low and moderate risk of becoming a problem gambler are at risk of not having enough money left for recreational activities or are not able to afford new clothes,” she said.
“While South Gippsland Shire has four venues that have pokies compared to other municipalities that might have 10 venues, the losses across those four venues are still huge.”
Ms Sewell said the audience at Leongatha Community House was surprised to learn of the extent of gambling losses in the shire.
Ms Sewell said warning signs of a gambling habit becoming a problem include people gambling money they would usually save and gambling more money than they can afford.
“They also start spending less time with family and friends because of their gambling behaviour,” she said.
Gamblers can often increase their alcohol consumption because poker machines are often located where alcohol is sold, and alcohol can also help relieve stress gamblers incur when they spend more than they can afford.
Given the shire’s population is widespread, people can also turn to online gambling to overcome feelings of social isolation.
“Anyone can be affected by gambling. There is not a particular gender or socio-economic type who can only be impacted,” Ms Sewell said.
Community house coordinator Eunice Donovan said houses support people through life.
“So when they are struggling with something that is a problem in their lives, the community house is an opportunity for them to get assistance,” she said.
Leongatha RSL is one of the local venues with poker machines.
Assistant manager Ricky McNaughton defended the presence of poker machines, saying people are not forced to play them.
“They’re there as a source of entertainment, as is horse racing, bingo, etc, but those figures are never exposed to the public,” he said.
“Take gaming out of our venue, and probably 30 of the 40 locals we employ wouldn’t be working there.
“Almost all of the profits we make have to be given back into our community through donations and sponsorships.”
Mr McNaughton said he has worked in gaming for 22 years.
“Yes, you see some sad situations, but everyone forgets about old Mabel down the road whose family has also forgotten about her, as she comes to visit us daily for a coffee and a bit of a flutter. There’s also a great social aspect of gaming,” he said.
“We don’t focus on gaming. We focus on our bistro, providing quality meals at discounted prices to our veteran and elderly community. We also have live entertainment once a month, which has been going great.”
A further workshop about budgeting and financial counselling will be held by Gambler’s Help at Leongatha Community House on Wednesday, March 21, from 1pm to 3pm. RSVP to Ms Donovan on 5662 3962.
Anyone seeking help for a gambling problem – either for themselves or someone else – can contact Latrobe Community Health Service to access a Gambler’s Help counsellor, phone Gambler’s Help on 1800 858 858 or go online at gamblershelpcom.au

Talking gambling: from left, Gambler’s Help community educator Lauren Sewell and Leongatha Community House coordinator Eunice Donovan at the gambling forum at the house last Wednesday.

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Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Mar 14 2018. Filed under Featured, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry