Professional help available in the Bay for problem gamblers
“You can lose yourself,” says problem gambling expert Mat McMillan.
Mat was recently in Golden Bay with psychologist Dr Philip Townshend to talk to people interested in the field of problem gambling. They wanted Golden Bay people to know that there is professional help available to people here who identify that gambling is a problem for them.
“When we talk about gambling and especially problem gambling what we are really talking about is the pokies.Approximately 80% of the people who present to us have a problem with the pokies,” said Phil. “Research suggests that about 25 per cent of the people who regularly use pokies have a problem with them. The fundamentally corrupt pokie industry is based on the fact that a small number of people lose an awful lot of money. Annually, nearly a billion dollars are lost. About 30 per cent of that goes back to communities. In Tasman, though, 90 per cent of that 30 per cent goes elsewhere. It’s all too murky and dirty.”
Phil said that community groups have an “absolutely valid argument” when they say that they depend on pokie money to do their good work, but he questions the validity of some of the recipients.
“The money that does go back to the community goes into things like horse racing, professional rugby and numerous dodgy areas.”
Phil is the research director of the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand. He said that New Zealanders need to understand that pokie machines provide a harmful and addictive product that has been “dumped into a naïve community”.
“The Hon Peter Dunne, who describes his party as ‘family friendly’, oversaw some changes in the rules governing pokie machines. The changes allowed for note-feeders to make it easier to gamble large sums, large jackpots up to $1000 to entice gamblers with dreams of sudden wealth, and increased maximum bets so that machine players can bet larger sums with each push. All of these things make it easier for problem gamblers to lose themselves.”
Pokie machines are administered by trusts, which have to comply with increasingly stringent conditions. Partly as a result of increased surveillance and a growing awareness of the problems associated with gambling, the number of machines decreased nationally from 25,000 in 2003 to about 16,000 in 2010, said Phil.
Venues for pokie machines (usually bars and clubs) receive a rental from the trusts who own the machines. The rental is called an “approved cost” in the legislation.
“It is illegal for venues thenselves to profit from the pokies but the fact of the matter is that they wouldn’t have them if they weren’t profitable,” says Mat.
“It isn’t all doom and gloom though. We’re making some progress on addressing gambling-related harm - thanks to New Zealand having world-leading legislation in the form of the Gambling Act 2003.”
The law says that pokie venues must follow specific harm-minimisation guidelines, including monitoring those people who are excluded from their venue. To self-exclude, a person can approach the venue or, in the Nelson/Tasman area contact the Problem Gambling Service. The service can help facilitate an exclusion from one or all venues across the area.
Mat and Phil explain, “ We know that self-exclusion works because our clients tell us about the relief it offers them.”
Mat and Phil also explain that there it is important to know that there is help for family and others affected by gambling-related harm and that there are professionals in the Bay with the expertise and experience to assist problem gamblers. There is also a 24-hour helpline on 0800 654 655. Mat also visits the Bay to assist people by assessing their situation and developing a plan for them to put into effect.
“Assessment is not an event, it’s a process,” he said.
Mat can be contacted on gambling@koata.iwi.nz
Neil Wilson
