Gaming Reform Minister Dr Marisa Paterson and ACT Gambling Support Service’s Markus Fischer at the launch of a guide around language and gambling harm. Photo: Supplied.
Markus Fischer knows firsthand how words can either help or hurt someone who is experiencing harm as a result of gambling.
“Language shapes how we see ourselves and how others see us. It can carry stigma, or it can carry hope,” he said.
The ACT Gambling Support Service lived experience and community engagement coordinator has been involved in developing a new guide for talking about gambling and related harms which aims to help Canberrans change the way they talk and think about gambling harm.
“This language guide has been co-designed with people who’ve experienced gambling harm firsthand. That matters, because when you’ve lived it, you know how words can either help or hurt,” Mr Fischer said.
“This guide encourages respectful, person-first language that doesn’t define people by their struggles, but instead opens the door to empathy, understanding and real change.”
One in six Canberrans are impacted by gambling harm, but about half of us hold views that can add to stigma, such as believing people are solely responsible for negative consequences of their gambling, are untrustworthy and are unlikely to recover from severe gambling harm.
“Research shows that language used to describe people experiencing harm from gambling often implies personal failure,” the guide states.
“Common stereotypes suggest they are weak, irresponsible, greedy or untrustworthy, and that they lack willpower or self-control … but no one sets out to develop a gambling problem.
“Rather, the problem often stems from the nature and design of gambling products, how they are marketed and regulated … it’s not harmless fun.”
ACT Gambling and Racing Commission chair Laura Beacroft said the words we use shaped how people understood and responded to gambling, and impacted on whether people felt safe enough to seek help.
“The [guide] recognises that gambling is a risky activity that can harm anyone, and that responsibility for reducing harm is shared across individuals, communities, industry and government,” she said.
“It offers practical tips for using person-first language, avoiding stereotypes, and including support options in communications. It also provides guidance on recognising the scope and scale of harms, from financial stress and relationship breakdowns to broader impacts on families and communities.
“It doesn’t sound like much to move to a public health foundation for what we’re doing, but, you know, it’s that shared responsibility … moving away from what the individual does alone, but moving to all those other players that can find the solution, and language is so important.”
Practical tips for talking about gambling and related-harms from the guide include:
- using a balanced narrative that acknowledges that gambling is a “risky activity” that can harm anyone, and avoiding terms like ‘responsible gambling’ which can “imply personal failure”
- use first-person language to separate the person from the issue and recognise people gamble for various reasons
- empowering people to seek help should they need it, acknowledging that positive change and recovery from gambling harm’s possible.
Gaming Reform Minister Dr Marisa Paterson said work was continuing to address and reduce gambling harm.
“We want to encourage open conversation and help-seeking. This requires a shift in how we view gambling harm, and how we support people who experience it,” she said.
Mr Fischer said a simple step for the community to take was simply changing the conversation:
“Changing the conversation starts with changing the words we use. When we speak with care, we create space for recovery, support and dignity.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing gambling harm, help is available both for the person gambling as well as their family and friends.
For immediate free 24/7 anonymous support, call the Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858 or visit Gambling Help Online.
You can connect with others with lived experience in Canberra through ACT Gambling Support.
