Long odds and high risks

Victorian Premier John Brumby may have played down predictions of a $1.5 billion government tax boon from new gaming giant Intralot’s aggressive push into the “scratchies” market but there is no doubt his government will reap massive cash rewards from the venture.

But how much is too much? When does the social cost outweigh the monetary gain?

Filling the government coffers to spend on services and infrastructure is one thing but tearing apart marriages and destroying families in the process must be weighed against it.

Most recent figures tell us that about 5 per cent of people who gamble have a serious problem. To anyone who gambles, those odds might sound good - only a one in 20 chance of developing an addiction. But there are stories of real people hidden in those figures - people with families who are drawn down into the mire of gambling addiction along side their partner, father, mother, brother or child. People like John*.

John had been gambling for 12 months. Small losses turned into bigger losses when he tried to turn his luck around. He hid his losses from his wife and two small children, but eventually the police turned up at the house after John stole money from his employer in a last desperate attempt to win his way out of trouble.

John and his wife argued in front of the children and finally his wife took the kids and left him.

There are about 60,000 stories just like that one across Victoria. Some end in jail, other even worse.

The Victorian Government is not going to ban all gaming, nor should it, as the vast majority of Victorians gamble within their limits. But it is undeniable that the government budgets on gaming revenue and knows that about half of all revenue is generated by problem gamblers (The Age, February 24, 2008).

To increase temptation and ease-of-gambling is to wave a sparkling nugget of fool’s gold in front people with a psychological addiction.

Intralot has government approval to expand the availability of “scratchies” and sell them in supermarkets, petrol stations, bottle shops and pharmacies. They will be in direct competition with Tatts and both companies will work overtime to attract punters and increase their market share.

To someone with a gambling problem it will feel as though they are being stalked.

The Victorian State Government has also allowed large concentrations of pokie machines to remain in low socio-economic areas such as the city of Latrobe - an area that rates highly in Tony Vinson’s list of “Postcodes of disadvantage” yet spends $240 per adult more on pokies every year than the state average. That’s $862 per adult per year on pokies alone. It is in these same areas that it appears the AFL also wants to expand gambling operations.

Then there’s racing.

Add you favourite armchair to the list of locations you can now bet from. It seems the local track, the TAB and the local pub don’t offer enough convenience. And all you need is the remote control of your TV. Aside from the obvious temptations to people with a gambling problem, this incursion into the family leisure centre will normalise gambling for children.

Anglicare Victoria delivers a Gambler’s Help service in Gippsland and our experience tells us that when children grow up in a home where gambling is a large part of daily life, they are more likely to develop into problem gamblers themselves.

The Brumby Government needs to introduce measures immediately to curb problem gambling and reduce the impact on families. We need a drastic reduction in the number of machines, especially in low socio-economic areas; the removal of ATMs from gaming venues; a betting cap of $1 per turn in clubs and pubs; and an introduction of smartcards in the casino to identify potential high risk gamblers.

There should be no expansion into lounge rooms, promoting further gambling “opportunities” to raise taxes or to increase the profits of the operators. The social consequences will be greater than the benefits.

We need to protect children from the lure of “a big win” until they are old enough to understand risk. And to do that we need to impose advertising restrictions similar to those that apply to tobacco advertising.

The Victorian Government is playing the odds in its push for higher gaming revenue. But it’s not betting with its own money. It’s putting the lives of thousands of Victorians on the line. It might only be 5 per cent but they each have a name and they each have a story.

*John’s name has been changed to protect his identity.