Hypothetical Forum Held On The Central Coast

During Responsible Gambling Awareness week 2006, the Central Coast Responsible Gambling Steering Committee, comprising of Unifam Gambling & Family Service, Wesley Mission Gambling Counselling and Central Coast Problem Gambling Service, provided community members with a “Hypothetical Discussion” evening, targeting the issue of “Who’s Responsible” when it comes to problem gambling.

The MC on the night was Scott Levi, from Central Coast ABC radio, who not only kept the ‘ball rolling’ with the panellists, but also provided some “Insider Information” on the probabilities of winning and gambling statistics.

The hypothetical scenario was actually based on a true situation, and challenged members of the panel to respond according to their roles and opinions. The panellists included representatives from Grant McBride’s office, TAFE NSW, Clubs NSW, Counselling Services, the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing, as well as a reformed gambler and a partner of a problem gambler.

The evening was attended by approximately 40 people, who participated actively in the question and answer time, directing challenging questions to members of the panel. It seems though that there may never be an easy answer to many of the questions people ask. The issue of “Who’s responsible” remains one of the questions which draw out the passion and emotion in people, as they search for answers to the problem of gambling.

One comment made during the evening by a member of the public seems to sum up the level of awareness among society about the issue of problem gambling. She stated, “If this was an event on problematic drug use, you would have no problems filling this place. Society seems to have accepted that drug using is a problem. However, there seems to still be a “secretness” when it comes to problem gambling, and society accepting the extent of the problem”.

Evaluations indicated that most who attended found it a worthwhile evening. We look forward to being able to present another such event in Gambling Awareness Week next year.

Charmaine Rowsell, Wesley Mission Gambling Counselling

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