Community » Problem Gambling
The Responsible Gambling Ambassador campaign has been established to promote responsible gambling messages in grass-roots sporting organisations throughout Victoria.
Spearheaded by the Essendon Football Club, the campaign is made up of six current and former elite athletes, including Essendon’s Responsible Gambling Ambassador Scott Lucas, and is supported by North Melbourne Football Club, Melbourne Vixens, Victorian Institute of Sport, Basketball Victoria, Melbourne Tigers and Tennis Australia.
The Responsible Gambling Ambassador campaign involves a collective approach from major sporting codes across Victoria to tackling issues surrounding problem gambling.
The objective of the campaign is to influence the role that sporting clubs play in creating strong and resilient communities by using current and former elite athletes to promote responsible gambling messages at grass roots level.
The overarching messages of the campaign relating to Knowledge, Balance and Control will be promoted across a series of local newspaper columns, stakeholder websites and the distribution of educational collateral throughout local sporting clubs in Victoria.
Ambassadors
Scott Lucas
“I know that it doesn’t matter what sport you are involved in or what level you play- problem gambling can affect you or someone in your life.”
Bianca Chatfield
“Problem gambling in sport is not going to go away by itself- but with your help in promoting responsible gambling within your community we will be one step closer to making gambling problem-free.”
Chris Anstey
“One thing I’ve realised is that ‘balance’ is a vital factor in life, sport and gambling responsibly.”
Kim Crow
“Like sport, in gambling you often only hear about the winners – the one in a million who wins the lotto. There is nothing newsworthy about everyday things. Unfortunately, losing in gambling is an “everyday thing.”
Todd Woodbridge
“If gambling has stopped being fun for you and started to feel like a problem, you can take control of your life and change it.”
Josh Gibson
“The thing that we don’t always realise about gambling is that it never starts out as a problem- it becomes one."
Why support us?
Sporting organisations are an ideal vehicle through which to influence behaviours - so together whether you’re a sporting organisation, an official or a player- we can make a joint effort to encourage everyone around us to gamble in a responsible manner.
The thing that we don’t always realise about gambling is that it never starts out as a problem- it becomes one.
As we approach one of the peak gambling periods of the year with the AFL & NRL finals series and the Spring Racing Carnival just around the corner it is important that we encourage those around us to take the right steps to ensure their gambling doesn’t become a problem.
Our key messages are:
- Don’t let gambling take over your life
- Set yourself a limit and don’t exceed it
- Take just your allocated amount of money
- Gamble for the fun of it, not for the money or the win
Understand Gambling
How does it start?
Problem gambling is when harm occurs because of gambling. This harm may take many forms and can extend to other people in the gambler’s life.
Gambling doesn’t start as a problem. For most people it starts out as a good thing, for example as:
- Time away from the pressures of work and family
- Opportunity to get away from thoughts and feelings which may be depressing
- A bit of excitement
- A dream of winning a fortune
- An opportunity to get out and socialise
- Feeling that a gambling venue is a safe place to go, no matter what the time.
BUT gambling can change and grow without people noticing how it has become more important to them.
Why do people gamble?
Individuals who have gambling problems most often ask the question of Why do I gamble?
Rather than asking “why” individuals gamble, perhaps it is better to understand “how” gambling fits into people’s lives. What part does it play? What need does it satisfy?
Most people who have problems with gambling fall into two broad groups:
- Those that say they gamble because it gives them some excitement and is challenging.
- Those who while gambling, experience time when they don’t think or feel. It is like a numbing experience, where their worries and cares disappear and their problems are forgotten.
The Odds
When you gamble you bet that the unexpected will happen, but do you know what your chances of winning really are?
Things that you think are rare often happen more often than winning at gambling. Also if you regularly try your luck at gambling you increase your chances of developing an issue with gambling.
If you gamble at least once a week on anything other than lotteries, you have an almost 1 in 7 chance of developing an issue with gambling - better odds than winning any prize on a single payline of a poker machine.
In every betting game, the odds are against the player. Some people may not realise the true statistical probabilities that ensure that, over time, they will lose money.
Remember:
- Odds are always against the better
- The ‘venue’ always has the edge over the person placing the bet
- The longer you gamble, the more likely you will lose more often than you will win
Taking Control
Most people gamble at one time or another. It may be at the TAB, on lotto, on the pokies or in a casino. For most people, gambling is fun and entertaining. If gambling has stopped being fun for you and started to feel like a problem, you can take control of your life and change it.
What do I need to think about gambling?
The majority of people who participate in gambling experience no harm as a result of their involvement. It's tempting to think that gambling problems happen to other people, not to you. You could well be thinking "This stuff is fine for people with no self-control, but why do I need to think about gambling?"
The short answer is that it's not possible to say who will be harmed by gambling and who will not. If you do gamble, it is also possible that at some stage you may experience harm, no matter how smoothly things are going at the moment.
It's far better to acknowledge the potential for problems than to be caught off-guard. Some simple strategies will help you to avoid hassles.
Tips for staying safe
Here are some tips for staying safe while gambling:
- Gamble only for fun, not if you are feeling stressed or unhappy.
- Understand the odds - never rely on winning.
- Set time and money limits and stick to them. Be alert for any feelings of wanting to break your limits.
- When you've spent to your limit, your session is finished. Don't try to win back what you've lost.
- Put any winnings in your pocket; don't re-invest them.
- Don't borrow money for gambling.
- Be open with family and friends about your gambling.
- Be careful about how you mix alcohol and gambling.
- Go with friends who will look out for you. Tell one another your limits and check on them.
- Make gambling just one part of your leisure activities.
You can change these tips to better suit your situation, or create new ones. For example, some people leave their bank cards at home and only take the cash they can afford to spend. Others keep a certain amount of their spending money in a separate "gambling account", or pay winnings into a special fund so that they can treat themselves later on.
Gambling help
There is plenty of help available for Problem Gamblers.
For immediate help you can call 1800 858 858 which is a free call.
Anybody affected by gambling (your own gambling or someone else's), can call the Helpline, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This service can give you the contact details for the nearest Gambler's Help or another service away from where you live if you would prefer this.
Calls to the Helpline are free, and they won't be listed on your phone bill to ensure your privacy.
Gambler's Help is a free service for people who are affected by gambling. The services provided by Gambler's Help include:
- Free, professional, confidential counselling for people for whom gambling is an issue
- Counselling for the family and friends of people for whom gambling is an issue
- Financial counselling to help people with gambling-related money problems
- Community education and helping communities reduce the negative effects of gambling
There are Gambler's Help available throughout Victoria. Professional help can make a real difference.
Click here to take the Responsible Gambling quiz if you are concerned about your gambling.
