Problem Gambling Library-From Addiction to Zero
Frequently asked questions
New Zealanders spent over $2 billion dollars on gambling in 2009. $2.5 million is spent on pokies every day. There were 19115 pokie machines outside casinos and 2824 in casinos in March 2010. That is one machine for every 134 people over 18 years of age. There are 1455 venues and 6 casinos (March 2010).
The primary mode of gambling for problem gamblers are pokie machines. Pokies are the most accessible form of gambling in New Zealand. The easy accessibility to pokies through local venues has seen an huge increase in the number of women problem gamblers. In 2004 women's referals for treatment and counselling overtook mens.
The impacts of gambling on families, whanau, the community and the workplace are: crime, family violence, ill health, family breakdown, poverty and suicidal behaviour. Every problem gambler affects between 7 and 15 people.
The warning signs for problem gambling unexplained absences, preoccupied with gambling, in debt, bills not paid on time, lying to cover up losses, borrowing from family, commits illegal acts such as forgery and fraud. Alcohol, smoking and gambling often go hand in hand.
In New Zealand problem gambling affects European/Pakeha (48.1%), Maori (28.6%), Pacific peoples (7.2%), and Asian (7.7%).
Only a small number of people seek help through counselling services. Feelings of shame and stigma are some of the reasons for this. Self banning or exclusion orders are one way that gamblers can hep themselves to stay away frompokie venues.
Two demographic groups who receive special attention from the gambling industry are youth and older adults. Inactivity from a productive life and the offer of free food, free transport and socialisation at the gambling venues is a powerful motivator for gambling. For youth new technologies and internet gambling offers excitement and risk as the revenue from online gambing reaches over $25 billion a year. Online gambling through lotto has seen one of the major increases in gambling revenue.
The gambling industry puts about $1 back into the community for every $3 lost. Our job at PGFNZ is to discourage those seeking funding from using gambling revenue and to return to a community model of fundraising through working together .... then we will no longer need pokies in our communities. An example of this is the moral dilemma of churches using gambling revenue. We offer a list of alternative funding organisations.