Responsible Gambling Awareness Week 2006

Once again the GIS were the driving force behind Responsible Gambling Awareness Week 2006 with their familiar motto for the week - “Keep a smile on your face and pause off the pokies”. The week has been developed over the past three years as a focus for community education about gambling and its risks. The aim of the week is to provide information about gambling, how to keep it safe and how to recognize when a problem may be developing and where to get help. Problem Gambling Services across the nation joined forces to promote these messages. In new South Wales the week commenced with a public launch at the Wesley Conference Centre, Sydney, on May 8th with Dr Clive Allcock as MC.

The event attracted a range of gambling services, consumers and community services. Minister Grant McBride (Department Of Gaming & Racing) opened the week and gave an overview of how his department was working with stakeholders to change the culture of gambling into one of responsibility. He used the analogy of work in the drink driving area as a mixture of legislation to encourage behavioural change (outlawing drinking & driving) policy measures (breathalizing) and a range of community education strategies to change community attitudes. The success of which led to a substantial decrease in alcohol induced deaths on our roads. It is with a similar combination of legislation, policy, community education and treatment services with which he sees we will develop a culture of Responsible Gambling in the community.

Keynote Speaker Professor Jan McMillen (Director—ANU Centre for Gambling Research) gave an encouraging presentation about Gambling In The Community : The State of Play indicating that work in Australia on gambling issues is recognized internationally for it leadership and progressiveness. However, she also highlighted that there was still much work to complete particularly in the areas of early intervention and prevention. Once again we heard that over 97% of those affected by problem gambling do not attend counselling treatment services. Whilst some people demonstrate “natural recovery” many depend on family and friends who (from the GIS perspective) are often left unsupported. Of particular concern was the high incident of young people developing problems and this is a nation wide trend. Her identification for the need to increase public health and health promotion approaches to increase community education and address those at risk was heartily endorsed by most in attendance.

Karen Richardson (GIS) gave a heartfelt presentation on the Impacts of Problem Gambling on Individuals and Families. As a member who lost her husband through gambling related suicide 8 years ago, Karen was well versed in the ongoing impacts of the devastation problem gambling reap. Her eloquent description of the ongoing loss for her family left no-one in doubt of the first hand affects. As many suffer in silence we congratulate Karen on the courage to speak openly about this difficult area of her life in an effort to bring to community light the far reaching consequences of this community problem.

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