Gamblers will find a way - in spite of the flu

To them it was a typical day’s outing with a predictable outcome and the loss of money they couldn’t afford to lose in the first place would not act as a deterrent -because without fail, they will return to their favourite gambling venue the following Saturday.

On occasions some of my old pals will win on the horses or pokies and make good use of their windfall but in the main they will be as eager as ever to revisit the TAB or pokies the next day to try valiantly to double their winnings.

And we all know that their chances of a repeat run of luck are rare due to odds being stacked firmly against punters. To confirm this theory yourself just compare the vehicles and houses of the publicans whose hotels the punters frequent or those of the bookies they engage with at race tracks to that of the average punter.

Say no more!

The addicted ones within my old circle of friends will also frequent the same venue during the week and on Friday night to gamble, if money permits - and may even go to another venue to give the appearance to other mates that they haven’t gambled that week.

Herein lays the problem with people who like to gamble. And the dilemma for them is that they don’t see their gambling habit as being a problem.

Gambling isn’t an Indigenous specific problem but it is held in dangerously high regard by many as a favourite leisure pursuit.

The Productivity Commission (1999) identified Australia as one of the largest gambling countries in the world with over 80 per cent of the population participating in various forms of gambling. Over one-fifth (20 per cent) of the world’s electronic gaming machines are in Australia.

It is not surprising that Governments of all persuasions support gambling in this country as they derive more than 12 per cent of their taxation revenue from gambling.

The Australian National University Centre for Gambling Research identified that in 2003-04, total gambling expenditure within Australia was $16.21 billion.

The latest Australian Council for Social Services (ACOSS) report; A fair go for all Australians, identified the number of people living below the poverty line at 935,000 or 9.9 per cent of all Australians in 2004.

The poverty line is a benchmark that the government sets at 50 per cent of the median (middle) disposable income (money available after essential expenditure) for all Australian households for a single adult. In 2004 this poverty line was $249 a week.