Responsible Gambling Guide for Australians

Australia is gripped by an epidemic of gambling addiction, with Queensland losing 24 billion Australian dollars in 2017, according to the state. Of the existing poker machines around the world, 20% are located in Australia. Gambling addiction has become a real disaster. Slot machines are addictive by stimulating the release of dopamine (a hormone of good mood) and often act like a drug. Gambling becomes a medical problem, causing addiction and growing into a social problem. It is also important to take steps to prevent underage children from gambling impose restrictions on adults; increase a sense of responsibility and self-control. The game should be seen as entertainment and not as a source of income. In Australia, gambling is regulated by the central government. It charged states and territories to control bets, lotteries, slot machines, casinos, and the like. The development of rules, codes, and criteria is provided by The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). ACMA makes sure that Internet service providers operate following the law.

How to recognize a problem

Detecting addiction to gambling is often not easy. The main symptoms of the emergence of gambling addiction:

The time spent on the game is constantly increasing.
There is a loss of control, inability to stop the game both after winning and after losing.3. Interests change, constant thoughts about the game prevail.
Striving for ever higher risk, loss of caution.
After the next game, after short periods, a state of discomfort, irritability develops.
Will weakens, the ability to resist the temptation to re-enter the game disappears.
Difficulties in the financial sphere are growing; people are increasingly beginning to borrow money for the game.

Your family, relatives, and friends are beginning to feel financial and psychological difficulties. The following categories of people are most often at risk:

people feel a sense of loneliness and dissatisfaction;
people are infantile, wanting to avoid responsibility;
people suffering in parallel with gambling addiction from other addictions (alcoholism, drug addiction);
professional players;
people who are under the influence of a certain idea (the belief that you can hit the jackpot by inventing a certain unique method of playing).

Responsible Gambling Tips

Taking into account the experience of observation and treatment of gambling addiction, it is possible to draw up a list of measures to combat this phenomenon.

Tough legislative measures are needed. These are advertising restrictions, licensing, age restrictions, and tax deductions.
Administrative measures. Local restrictions (near schools and educational institutions); by the time of work, by type of games.
Strict control in a gambling establishment, restrictions on age, condition, adequacy.
Checking solvency, credit history, lists of problem players, and fraudsters.
Time and amount restrictions for the player.
Stops in the game.
Medical measures. Psychotherapeutic and drug treatment, individual, family, or group therapy.
Periodic checking your condition with a psychotherapist or psychoanalyst.
Self-test.
Community action. Lectures and training. Creation and maintenance of anonymous groups
Popularization of educational programs on the topic of gambling addiction. The issue, distribution of books, and lectures on topics related to gambling addiction.
Self-control and self-restraint are very important. Stop, exit the casino, and then continue playing. There are self-help modules developed. Chats help you understand that you are not alone. You will find new friends, support each other and help yourself and others. The main thing is not to withdraw into you, contact people, look for help and help will come. Evaluate yourself from the outside; this is the first step to start a change. Online gambling help centres have many tools, such as e-mail, SMS messages, telephone conversations, chats, and many other communication methods to provide support and advice when they are needed.

If you feel that you are inclined to increase rates all the time and this bothers you, then set weekly bet limits that will be supported by your casino. Then use the options for self-exclusion, temporary or permanent.

How can I find help?

For temporary self-exclusion, you must specify the number of days with restricted access to the casino. After the expiration of this period, you must restore your account. It also happens that you have to take a difficult step and decide to completely ban yourself from playing in the casino; sometimes it is necessary to preserve your health and your personality. It can be yourself, your friends, family, special organizations, psychologists. There are centres in Australia that assist people with gambling addiction. These are chat consultations, email support, self-help tips. In Australia, you can also find many forums that support and help gambling addicts.

There are Gamblinghelponline.org.au.; Gamcare.org.u; Austigamingcouncil.org.

The National Consumer Protection Framework. Australia has had a consumer protection system since 2018. Her responsibilities include protecting betting consumers.

Local Australian Organizations

Gambling is entertainment, many people get great pleasure from the game, emotional relaxation, and sports excitement. But there are players, who cease to control their emotions, cannot stop, and raise rates in the hope of a big win. Gradually, a person becomes addicted to the game. Gambling addiction creates more and more problems for the player himself, for his loved ones, for the family. It is more and more difficult to overcome his addiction, a person loses hope, he does not have the strength to quit gambling, he needs help.

The government and public organizations are taking measures to help addicted gamblers recover and overcome their addiction. The problem of addiction to gambling is a complex problem, where the medical component takes a certain place along with the psychological, social, and pedagogical. There was a need to solve the problem using the resources of society and a single individual, not excluding psychotherapy and drug treatment. The number of those whose gambling addiction develops into pathology constantly. It is, according to various estimates, about 3.2% of the population. Here are 4 local organizations available in Australia that are helping to combat gambling addiction.

Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation

It Created by the Parliament of Victoria to address gambling concerns. The Foundation makes every effort to improve the health of society, created by the Parliament of Victoria to address gambling concerns. The Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation works with organizations and individuals to reduce the harm and risk of gambling addiction to those people who have not experienced addiction to these games.

Gambling Help Online

It supports those who have suffered from gambling addiction. Gambling Help Online helps by advising, informing, and supporting those who need help. A methodology has been developed, according to which the community, step by step, guides people addicted to gambling to release from addiction and complete recovery. Chat, e-mail, forum, SMS, telephone support, and various self-help techniques are used.

Healthdirect

The motto of this site is Free Australian health advice you can count on. Here you can find a lot of tips for a person’s well-being. You can check your health and find the advice you need, as well as find where you can turn for help. The site has a large article on gambling addiction. It describes in detail how to determine this dependence on friends, in oneself, and where to look for help.

Lifeline

This site provides support to people in difficult situations. Lifeline gives moral and psychological support to all those who apply without condemnation, without any conditions, provides compassion, understanding, and establishes emotional contact. To do this, you just need to call tel. 13 11 14. If life is in danger, you should immediately call 000. Very often volunteers provide help; Lifeline also receives support from the federal and state governments.

Conclusion

How to avoid gambling addiction?

First of all, you should consider the game as one of the activities that please you.
It shouldn’t be difficult for you to finish the game.
You should always find a balance between spending on the game and spending at home.
Play helps you relieve stress and tension, but you shouldn’t give all your free time to play.
You must understand that gambling is not a way to make money.
Try to control your expenses and do not bet on borrowed money.
Beware of placing bets while intoxicated.
Be calm about the game, with the understanding that often your chances of winning are too small.
Losing is okay, you have to realize it.

How to recognize your gambling addiction?

The following behavioral symptoms can help you detect gambling addiction.

You constantly dream of winning big.
You tend to excessively use alcohol and drugs.
Can you take a break and do not place bets for 10 days or more?
Do you borrow money for the game?
Do you have family difficulties and connections with your gambling addiction?
Do you sacrifice your free time and other activities for the game?
Are you ready to spend big money on the game?

Analyze your thoughts, feelings, and if you find that the game fills all your free time, you are constantly thinking about the game, dreaming of a big win, then this is the time to stop. You can still do this.