A social justice network for Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia » Gambling

Gamble This!

Anne — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 01:12:29 +0000

Today, Monday 1st September is New Zealand’s fourth annual Gamble Free Day. This is a day set aside to raise public awareness and knowledge about gambling harm caused in New Zealand society.

A few facts from the Problem Gambling Society:

Problem gambling can lead to family break-ups, workplace problems and results in crime. It puts pressure on health services and the criminal justice system. Problem gamblers may also spend money gambling instead of providing the essentials of life, like food or housing, for themselves and their families.

In New Zealand certain groups of population experience more harm from problem gambling than others. Maori, Pacific and certain groups of Asians (recent migrants, Chinese and Korean) are more affected than others. However, half of problem gamblers and those seeking help are New Zealand European/Pakeha.

Last year New Zealanders lost $2.020 billion through all forms of gambling

$950 million was lost on pokies outside casinos

There are 19856 non-casino pokies in 1552 venues

Pokies were the primary mode of gambling for 81% of clients

2643 new clients (gamblers and their families) sought help in the year ended 30th June 2007. Over 5168 clients were provided with counselling during 2007

Over 60% of problem gamblers live in low socio-economic areas

For more on Gamble Free Day and info on activities around NZ, click here: www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0808/S00354.htm

For more in-depth research publications and reports, check out Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand’s resource page: www.pgfnz.co.nz/publications.htm

The Social Hazard of Gambling – Dr Pita Sharples

Anne — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 01:41:33 +0000

Press release: Dr Pita Sharples, MP for Tamaki Makaurau, Maori Party

Wednesday 30 April 2008

Maori Party co-leader, Dr Pita Sharples, says the announcement that the Gambling Helpline will be forced to close in October, due to failed contract negotiations with the Ministry of Health, is a tragedy in light of recent reports describing the adverse impact of gambling upon communities as a social hazard.

“The Child Poverty Action Group’s report (Left behind) shows that the communities worst affected by gambling are those in low socio-economic areas. The majority of gambling venues are in decile 1-3 areas, with pokies and TAB venues far more likely to be concentrated in economically deprived areas than others” said Dr Sharples.

“We know too, that with gambling comes ill health, violence, financial difficulties, reliance on food-banks, and other impacts played out in the Courts”.

“As MP for Tamaki Makaurau, I know just how desperate some of my constituents have been as they have turned to gambling to escape poverty. And of course, I am particularly driven by the fact that almost a third (28.5%) of problem gamblers are likely to be Maori”.

“A telephone helpline service – including the Pacific, Youth and Maori Helplines-has been one approach to intervention which has helped to support the families and communities who have been harmed by gambling” said Dr Sharples.

“Gambling is a huge hazard amongst us. Last year we were amazed at the strength of the rebellion seen in Manukau when over 6700 submissions flooded the Council offices speaking out against gambling” said Dr Sharples. “While we all applauded their community courage and commitment, we know that there are many individuals and families, just looking for help to leave the social chaos of a gambling problem”.

“Whatever the problems are with the Ministry of Health, you would think they would be doing everything they can to reduce the risk of further harm” said Dr Sharples.

Gambling Helpline To Close At End Of October

Anne — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:25:51 +0000

The Gambling Helpline announced this morning that its services would be shut down at the end of this year after months of negotiations with the Ministry of Health failed to bring a workable contract agreement. This is deeply disappointing. Over the last ten years, the Gambling Helpline has supported over 34,000 Kiwis with gambling-related issues. The quality, innovation and effectiveness of its services are recognised internationally.

Problem gambling heavily impacts the most vulnerable people in our society. It can result in dire financial problems, insurmountable debt and impacts hugely on individuals, families and children. Pokie machines, which make up the bulk of the problem gambling, are concentrated in low socio-economic areas. The fact that the problem gambling helpline is unable to continue to provide its essential services is a deep betrayal of those Kiwis bearing the heavy costs of gambling problems.

Read full press release

Party Pills, the reason certain parties will never ever have my vote

NickiM — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:57:37 +0000

Although there are in fact many things about certain parties, that draw me to them, 20+ years of working with young people and most of my childhood growing up with an addicted parent means their views on drugs legal or otherwise, completely writes them off for me. I know that saying that, possibly wont go down to well, but I feel it needs to be said.
Last year we saw first hand the suffering of family members waiting for weeks not knowing if their child would live or die because of party pills. The fact this kid is alive is more miracle than anything else. What was happening in their body because of these pills was shocking and scary and after the threat of death had passed, they still had to wait hearts in mouths, to know if their child had suffered irreversible brain damage. They weren’t the only parents in that hospital, going thru that same watch, hoping for life and not death. The fact that no reported death has occurred so far is down to pure luck and the amazing skills of medical professionals, who fight to the bitter end, to save these kids lives. I know how painful it was for us to watch the heartache they went through, I cant imagine what it was like to be them.
I am opposed to party pills on so many levels
1: Why the hell do we want to send to our kids, the message that you need to have drugs to have fun. I mean what are we doing. I think we’ve all gone mad. I watch with absolute disgust, the media’s take on this issue. Poor bleeding hearts, we’ve taken our kids drugs away. How bad of our Government and other parties, taking these kids fun away from them. Its just so screwed up, I mean we push for healthy food to be sold in schools and then turn around and back pills that are anything but healthy. Anything society condones as ok gives to our kids exactly that message.. that drug taking is ok. We sell these things in almost every major shopping mall. We are saying legal drugs is ok, these are the ones we condone as safe. But we still give a very clear message.. we live in a world where you have to take stuff to help you have fun. BTW don’t even start me on alcohol.
2: It is absolute crap to say, that stopping these things will cause kids to go on meth, give me a bucket please. Am I saying none will/might… no i’m not, but to use the scare tactic of every kid going on meth is just stupid and untrue. What is more true, is that with legal drugs being sold in every mall etc, far more kids were exposed to drug use. There will always be kids who search it out, and then there will be opportunists, who’ll try it if its there, and wont if its not. To ban these things instantly takes them out of the reach of the masses. It actually makes our kids safer.
3: There is already a black market out there. Even with its legal status, there are people producing them and adding ectasy to them among other things. Dance parties and other places where these things are in ready supply are dangerous places. Kids under the influence of both pills and alcohol are not in the place to take the notice they need to, to check the pills they are taking. They get past around and kids swallow them and have no idea what they just swallowed. Banning them, making them illegal, will actually make our kids safer, because now our police can actually do something.
4: For years we have warned our kids against the drug rape pills. We tell them to buy their own drinks, to never put them down and yet with the introduction of the pill culture, we see kids taking pills willy nilly of friends and strangers alike. How safe are our kids now I ask you. Teenagers dont think, they never think it will happen to them. They dont weigh up the risks first, they just go for it.
5: The party pill guy, sorry cant remember his name, said on the news one night, that these things are totally safe, so long as they are not taken with alcohol and you take the recommended dose. So tell me how many teenagers you know, who will not take them with alcohol. Teenagers who under the influence will only stop at the recommended dose.
6: As to regulation, we already have regulations on alcohol, how effective are they in curbing and managing youth cultures approach to drinking. How effective are they in managing the risks to our young people…… exactly… I rest my case. Hell if prohibition doesn’t work, why ban any drug. Lets regulate them all. Manufacture our own P and meth, wouldn’t that be safer and why not cocaine and heroin, lets go the whole 9 yards. Sell them in our own little drug shops, I mean we already have the infrastructure, shops trafficking oh sorry I meant to say retailing drugs already. We’d just increase their range, and no more gang problem. See its all solved, lets teach kids how to get high safely, isn’t that what any society wants and needs.
I am glad that they have been banned and saddened that parties I might have supported, I now could simply never ever support.

Dealing with gambling in New Zealand

Ant — Sun, 31 Aug 2003 19:21:59 +0000

This resource pack has been produced by GamblingWatch (the NZ Coalition for
Gambling Reform, Inc.) to provide communities and concerned citizens with advice on
issues arising under the new Gambling Act (formerly the Responsible Gambling Bill).

The pack has been developed from a similar resource produced for the Problem
Gambling Foundation of NZ, and its production has been assisted by a generous grant
from the JR Mackenzie Trust, to both of whom we express our thanks.

GamblingWatch echoes a widespread public concern â€“ that there is a clear link between
the growth of gambling opportunities over the past 10 years and a variety of discernable
social and economic impacts, including the phenomenal rise in problem gambling.

New Gambling laws will give concerned citizens a brief window of opportunity.
Consistent feedback to GamblingWatch throughout the development of the legislation
indicates a high level of expectation that under this new Act, for the first time,
communities will be empowered to exercise some measure of control over the social
and economic impacts of the gambling industry.

Whether these expectations will be met is yet to be seen. It will depend, in part, on
informed and motivated groups and individuals taking action to ensure community
decision-making rights are achieved and changes are made in the way gambling policy
and gambling provision are decided.

The question remains: will industry wishes, as communicated to parliamentarians
through gambling-fuelled lobbying, remain paramount; or will community needs
be seen as the overriding concern?

Click on the image to download the pack, or click here.