New ways to target gambling harm identified

New insights into gambling addiction from those experiencing its harmful effects will help inform more effective treatment and interventions. Researchers at the Centre for Gambling Research (CGR), based at The Australian National University (ANU), interviewed more than 50 people in the ACT about their experiences of gambling-related harm and the public health approaches to tackling the problem. The research found many gamblers don't want to receive help from formal services, are resistant when it's offered and don't consider the amount of time they spend gambling as an indicator of gambling harm. Dr Marisa Fogarty, Director of the CGR said attitudes such as "gambling is not a problem if you can afford the losses" were common and terms such as "gamble responsibly" were considered counter-productive. "What we found has given us significant insight into facilitating peoples' ability to identify gambling harm and to develop strategies and identify appropriate resources to address gambling harm". The report, Informing Targeted Interventions for people Experiencing Gambling Harms in the ACT recommends a holistic intervention approach. Dr Fogarty said to date public health interventions into gambling harm have been "ad hoc".