Why the problem with problem gambling might be down to definitions
A federal government research program shows over two-thirds of regular gamblers show “at-risk” behaviours. But the rate of interventions is far lower than that.
Ian Correia grew up in Melbourne’s western suburbs, where he would see the sign for his local TAB from his school bus window.
Starting at age 15, funded by small change stolen from nearby telephone boxes, Correia’s gambling habit ended 34 years later, after more than $1 million in losses, the break up of his family, and three failed suicide attempts.
“When you start to hear from other people that have suffered the same as you, it starts to open your eyes,” Correia told Capital Brief. “Maybe it’s not you. Maybe it’s the industry and their predatory nature.”
He’s far from alone. Australians spend the most in the world on legal forms of gambling per capita, with online betting expenditure 20% more than any other country. And according to new survey results published by the Australian Gambling Research Centre (AGRC), a federal government research program housed by the Australian Institute of Family Studies, 68.4% of regular online gamblers last year were classified as being at-risk of harm.
