Gambling Addiction Levels Lowered in New Zealand

“The report for gambling problems released by the Ministry of Health - 'Problem Gambling Intervention Services: 2006 Service-User Statistics'- brings very good news for the healthy sector in New Zealand” declared Mr. Max Abbott, Professor at AUT University.

Compared to the previous decade, the number of people seeking help for gambling problems were significantly lower in New Zealand. New gambling problems helpline callers reduced by a third and new counseling clients by a fifth in the year 2005. Now, in 2006 the figures obtained in 2005 are continually sustained. This fact indicates that the helpline callers and counseling clients were not just a blip or a trend.

Professor Abbott’s comments the situation: “A change of this size is a record in the addictions, mental health or general health area. The reason for this record must be for sure a dramatic one, especially if we take in consideration that services are being expanded and actively promoted. So, it appears probable that the drop in help-seeking represents a decrease in gambling problems in the community.”

In Professor Abbott’s opinion the introduction of the Smoke free Environments Act 2004, supported by some measures in the Gambling Act 2003 is the best presumption for the reduction in help seeking.

The majority of persons with a gambling-related problem are heavy smokers and the majority reports problems with non-casino gaming machines (pokies). Now, the introduction of the Smoke free Environments Act put problem gamblers in the situation to choose between smoking and gambling.

Indeed is an irony now, to observe how the smoke free legislation had a bigger impact on problem gambling than on tobacco use, as it was evidently expected.

The smoke free act also applies to casino gaming machines, but as always, casino operators found ways to sneak out this. Recently, non-casino operators won a petition to the Gambling Commission that will permit machines to be placed in areas that are technically 'out doors' where smoking is allowed. All we can do now is to wait and see what will the effect be and how widely it will be adopted.

Looking on the other side of the coin, almost 2/3 of new clients say that non-casino gaming machines represent for them gambling with no risk to addiction and this number dropped in the last 2 years. However, casino-based machine gambling addiction has increased, being also reflected in reduced national non-casino gaming machine expenses.

Although the latest figures show that nearly two-thirds of new clients report that non-casino gaming machines are their primary mode of harmful gambling, this figure has dropped in the past two years while casino-based machine problems have increased. This is also reflected in reduced national non-casino gaming machine expenses.

Professor Abbott says that the record numbers for reduced gambling addiction is something to be proud off but the real challenge is to reduce problem levels further and try to do more to defeat barriers to seeking help.