The Australian National University is letting be known their findings on electronic gaming machines (pokies to the likes of us):
It revealed that regular EGM players typically found it difficult to describe responsible gambling beyond ‘not spending more than you can afford’ or to identify signs and symptoms of problem gambling outside of gaming venues.
Research participants also had very little knowledge about services available for people with gambling problems beyond the telephone number advertised on EGMs. Furthermore, knowledge about problem gambling tended to increase amongst people who had experienced harm as a result of their gambling.
Report author Dr Annie Carroll from the Centre for Gambling Research in the ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences said: “Given that people with gambling problems are unlikely to seek help – and family and friends find it so difficult to intervene – a better understanding is needed of how broader social institutions can support and encourage individuals, their families and friends to seek timely help for gambling problems”.
