Problem Gambling In Australia

However, Risk-taking doesn’t always have a bad connotation outside of the gambling industry. In the entrepreneur space, risk-taking is considered an essential part of innovation and creativity. Despite this, taking up too much risk that it starts to cause personal harm is a sign of a bigger problem.

It is estimated that problem gambling or gambling addiction affects about 1% of the entire world’s population. One percent might seem like a small number but with 7.674 billion people in the world, that 1% number doesn’t seem so small after all.

Government and charity organization are doing their best to help curb this problem. The Australian government has long been debating the best way to regulate online gambling. Problem gambling is a problem in Australia. Organizations like “The Pokies Play You” have been advocating for anti-gambling laws for years now. Also, the organization is focused on helping problem gamblers restructure their lives and debts.

What Is Problem Gambling?

There several ways to gamble in the modern era. You can boot up your computer or mobile device and spin pokies, or scratchies, table games, and many more!

An estimated 70% of Aussie have at some point taking part in some form of gambling. So, what is problem gambling?

A lot of people believe that problem gambling means you have sold you house and every belonging you own to play casino games or sportsbook. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth as not only people who are completely out of control have a problem.

Problem gambling is any gambling activity that has a negative effect on your life or the lives of your family and loved ones. The effects of problem gambling on a person life could be very difficult to deal with and might include:

• • Debt or other financial challenges
  • Marriage issues
  • Loss of income or difficulties at work
  • Negative impacts on families, particularly kids
  • Issues of mental and emotional wellbeing
  • Addiction

Who is more likely to have a problem with gambling?

Extreme problem gambling has been recognized as a disorder by the WHO (World Health Organization).

Now we have to say just because you bet on horses a few times a week, immediately makes you a problem gambler. That is not the case, even if you lose a substantial amount of money, you might still not be a problem gambler.

The real problem gamblers are the ones whose gambling activity has a strong grip over all the aspects of their lives. In other words, their gambling activity has a negative effect on not only their lives but also the lives of their loved ones.

There is an estimation that about 200,000 Australians are now dealing with a high degree of problem gambling. With 400,000 other dealing lower degree gambling problems. These problems are breaking up families and having a ripple effect on children.

On average Aussies spend $1300 per capita on online gambling, which is the most per capita for any country. The UKGC released a report on who is likely to have a gambling problem between men and women. The report suggests that problem gamblers:

• •  five times more likely to be male than female.
  •  more likely to be unemployed than working, studying, or retired
  •  likely to be between 25 and 34 years of age
  • are likely to indicate signs of mental illness
  • are more likely to indicate symptoms of poor health

Why are some people having this problem?

Gambling like drugs and alcohol can become an addiction, just like online shopping has created an excess buying culture. So as online gambling. Gambling can be fun and we admit that, but when it starts to spiral out of control, it becomes a problem that could get worse.

Gambling addiction is formed the same way another addiction is, from two distinct reward pathways. There are wanting something and liking it. Wanting something is a desire to play casino games when you’re bored on your computer. Liking is you enjoying the games so much that you keep coming back for it over and over again.

In other words, addiction completely rewires our reward systems. Regardless if it’s an addition to drugs, gambling. When you know you are addicted is why you want to gamble but you are not liking it or having fun anymore. It starts to feel like it’s just part of your routine.

We all know how hard it is to break a habit. Now imagine if that habit could potentially make you very rich. The incentive to indulge in online or offline gambling is very appealing to not only adults but to kids as well.

In Australia, it has been reported that children as young as 11 have either played or still playing some sort of pokie. Or betting on hockey via their mobile devices.

Signs you have a gambling problem

People face difficult situations from time to time and how we react to the problem is very important. We know that it is very difficult for a person who is addicted to admit and just say it. They would usually be in denial for a long time before coming to this conclusion.

Hence, we have put together a list of signs that if you see in your loved ones, should raise an alarm:

• • Obsession – Unable to Stop Gambling
  • Hiding or Lying about Gambling
  • Gambling despite the implications
  • Experiencing Withdrawal Signs When not Gambling
  • Chaos in Daily Lives
  • Financial Problems
  • Stealing or Criminal Behavior
  • They’re Showing Regret or Shame After Gambling

If a family member or friend is showing any of these signs. We advise you get them some professional help. If you are reading this and you’ve noticed all or some of the signs in yourself, you’ve done very well. To get the help you can visit Gambling help Online or if you want you can call toll-free: 888-347-8888.

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Henry Brown 16.09.2021