Long odds and high risks

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.