Gambling Addiction
Problem gamblers and poker machines
- One in six people who play the pokies regularly has a serious addiction.
- Problem gamblers lose around $21,000 each year. That’s one third of the average Australian salary.
- Some poker machines can be played at extremely high intensity – a gambler could lose more than $1,500 in just one hour.
- Young people (18-24 year olds) spend more on poker machines than any other age group. Many adult problem gamblers report having developed gambling problems during their teenage years (source: Delfabbro, P, Gambling Research Australia, A review of Australian Gambling Research, August 2008, p61).
- Three-quarters of problem gamblers have problems with poker machines. It’s even higher for women – in 9 out of 10 cases poker machines are identified as the cause of problems for women (source: Delfabbro, P, August 2008, p67).
Impact of problem gambling
- Problem gamblers are six times more likely to be divorced than non problem gamblers.
- Problem gamblers are four times more likely to have problems with alcohol and four times as likely to smoke daily than non problem gamblers.
- Children with parents who are problem gamblers are up to 10 times more likely to become problem gamblers themselves than children with non gambling parents
For advice and help, visit Gambling Help Online.
Phone 1800 858 858
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