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24 November, 2009

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Gambling

Gambling is any activity where money – or anything else of value – is put at risk on an event of uncertain outcome that relies, in part or entirely, on chance. Just over 77 per cent of the Victorian adult population gamble every week, mostly for fun and entertainment. The most popular form of gambling is lottery games.

Different types of gambling
Different types of gambling include:

Gaming – where the outcome is decided largely by chance. Examples include lotteries, pokies, bingo, scratchies, casino and card games.
Betting or wagering – on the outcome of a future event. Examples include horse racing, sports betting, Internet betting and TAB betting.
Speculation – such as gambling on the stock market.

The odds of winning on the pokies are low
Most people gamble because they think they will win money but the odds of winning are low. For example, electronic gaming machines (‘pokies’) are randomly programmed so it may take hundreds of thousands of individual games before the machine pays out.

According to some research, to have a 50 per cent chance of winning on some gaming machines, a person would have to press the button 6.7 million times, which would take close to 400 days of around-the-clock continuous play. In ordinary playing time, this equals around 190 years.

For a $2,000 prize, a person would have to feed around $330,000 into the machine.

Other forms of gambling also have low odds
According to a national inquiry into gaming, the odds of winning at other popular forms of gambling are equally low. Examples of some of the odds include:

Saturday Tattslotto major prize – approximately one in 2 million
Powerball – approximately one in 27 million
The Pools – approximately one in 1.4 million
Tatts Keno – approximately one in 9 million.

Gambling in Victoria
Victoria’s adult population is spending more on gambling. This has been the trend since the 1990s when gaming machines were introduced. Each adult is losing (on average) $1,134 per year compared to $590 in 1993–4. This is the third highest expenditure of all Australian states and territories.

Just over half of this spending is on gaming machines. The proportion of Victoria’s total takings from gambling can be broken down approximately as follows:

Gaming machines – 54 per cent
Casino – 23 per cent
Racing – 13 per cent
Lottery products – 9 per cent
Sports betting – 0.9 per cent
Other (including Keno, interactive and minor gaming) – 0.2 per cent.

Problem gambling in Victoria
‘Problem gambling’ is when gambling causes harm to the individual player or their family. This harm may also extend into the community. It is estimated that Victorians account for one-third of Australia’s problem gamblers – approximately 1.12 per cent of the Victorian adult population has serious problems with their gambling.

When gambling is out of control, a person who is experiencing difficulties may feel compelled to gamble, even when it causes them distress. The impact of gambling can have a significant effect on a problem gambler’s life. These effects include:

Spending little time with family and friends
Difficulties at work
Relationship breakdowns (both marital and personal)
Turning to crime to support gambling habits
Major financial difficulties (including bankruptcy)
Significant mental health problems (over 50 per cent of problem gamblers suffer from depression)
Suicidal tendencies
High alcohol and drug consumption.

Services available
There are various organisations that can offer support, assistance and counselling for people who have problems with gambling. Depending on the service, the aim is either to control the gambling or abstain altogether. Some organisations also offer support to affected family and friends.

Where to get help

Gambler’s Help Tel. 1800 858 858, TTY 1800 777 706 – 24-hour telephone counselling service
Gambling Help Online - for problem gambling counselling and support (Australia-wide), 24 hours, seven days
Gamblers Anonymous Tel. (03) 9696 6108
Gam-Anon Tel. (03) 9898 7526 (volunteers only)
Crown Responsible Gaming Support Centre Tel. 1800 801 098
Australian Hotels Association – (AHA) Self Exclusion Program Tel. (03) 9654 7100 Mon to Fri (business hours)
Lifeline Tel. 131 114
Suicide Helpline Victoria Tel. 1300 651 251
Financial and Consumer Rights Council Tel. 1800 134 139 or Tel. (03) 9663 2000
Kids Help Line Tel. 1800 551 800
Your doctor or other health professionals

Things to remember

Gambling is any activity where money (or anything of value) is put at risk on an event of uncertain outcome that relies, in part or entirely, on chance.
Approximately 1.12 per cent of the Victorian adult population has serious problems with their gambling.
There are various organisations that can offer support, assistance and counselling for people who have problems with gambling.

You might also be interested in:
Gambling - advice for family and friends.
Gambling - do you have a problem?.
Gambling - financial issues.
Gambling - how to change your habits.

Want to know more?
Go to More information for support groups, related links and references.

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