Responsible gambling

The problem of gambling addiction in Australia continues to raise one eyebrow, with the financial losses increasing each year. In 2024, people in Australia lost a combined AU$25 billion through different kinds of betting. An average of AU$1,555 was lost per adult, making Australians among the world's biggest spenders on gambling per capita.

The following are breakdowns in broad categories of gambling losses:

However, apart from the financial devastations, there are more severe damages. Almost 25% of gamblers ruin their relationships because of betting-related issues. Meanwhile, 20.6% have compromised health as a result of their lifestyle.

Moreover, here are pieces of information that will try to paint a better picture of what the gambling scenery of Australia looks like: 

• The general trend is that Australians gambled more during COVID-19 restrictions. It also involves implications for isolation, especially for those who have already engaged in some form of gambling activity in the past.
• Men between the ages of 18 to 24 years are more likely to experience gambling problems. This is very grievous because, in many single-income homes, the male member is expected to be a breadwinner.
• Horse racing, keno, sports betting, and greyhound racing also became popular during COVID-19. These are the kinds of bets that every gambler can easily access online. Therefore, mitigation strategies should mostly focus on online gambling since this is considered the easier mode of betting.

Obviously, the situation needs to be brought into control before it further deteriorates. Gambling addiction is a serious issue that not only affects the gambler but extends to their friends and family.

To address gambling addiction in the country, the government has enacted three amendments. These were designed to encourage responsible gambling and minimise its adverse effects:

• Interactive Gambling Act (IGA) of 2001. It was introduced to enable the government to enhance law enforcement and disruption of non-licensed gambling sites offshore.
• National Consumer Protection Framework for Online Wagering. It's a set of ten rules and tools that all licensed online wagering providers must follow to keep their licences.
• Australian Communications and Media Authority. It can take measures to oversee online casinos operating from abroad and block access to them within the country.

Consequently, all these developments have translated to increased protection of Australians from bad gambling practices by offering:

• Faster customer verification: The government, in the hope of taking away the reason for the Australian gamblers going to unlicensed alternatives, reduced the existing new player verification period from 90 to 14 days. They work further to push this over to just 72 hours.
• National Self-Exclusion Register: Introduced in 2019, it allows you to easily block yourself from accessing any licensed gambling platform or facility nationwide. In light of the above discussion, ACMA regulates the actions of all licensed institutions within the industry and brings them into compliance with current self-exclusion processes.
• Ban against non-Australian online casinos: Many offshore platforms that accept Australian players do not meet the country's regulatory requirements. Everyone hopes that enhanced enforcement by various government-created organisations will make the gambling problem simpler to regulate.

You are in control and you can keep your gambling fun - just the way it is supposed to be! We recommend you take advantage of all the tools at your disposal to reduce the risk of falling into gambling-related problems.

Our team at Rhubarb has a few ways for you to wager responsibly:

• Don't gamble as a means of dealing with psychological problems
• Set hard limits to your gambling: maximum win/loss amounts, limits of time to play, and deposit limits to let you still have full control over your betting activities
• Avail yourself of tools that may be built into the website to help you manage your gambling experience
• Only wager the amount of money that you can afford to lose. Never use funds that have been set aside for your daily living, savings, or other financial responsibilities
• Make sure your hobbies are diverse and you devote equal time to all of them - not just gambling
• Keep yourself surrounded by the presence and support of family and friends.
• Don't borrow money to gamble
• Hold off on gambling activities if under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs

If gambling problems are slowly infiltrating your life, it is often better to take the problem in hand early. It will minimise the damage for you and those around you. Not sure if you've already had this problem in your life? See whether you identify with these behaviours:

• Going to lengths, such as borrowing and stealing, to obtain money with which to gamble
• Trying to stop gambling but not being able to
• Spending most of the day thinking about gambling
• Hiding gambling activities from friends and family
• Making betting the first priority when there are financial, familial, social, and other responsibilities
• Feeling "on edge" and is highly reactive when not using a gambling account
• Turning to gambling when in states of negative emotions
• Use gambling in order to "chase" losses

Bear in mind: All the gambling platforms that we review here at Rhubarb are committed to ensuring that gambling remains an entertaining experience for all. As such, before you opt to go ahead and choose a casino site, we highly encourage you to learn about the responsible gambling tools available there, just in case you need them. Common ones include deposit limits, self-exclusion, or even permanent account closure.

Even though the tools we mentioned above are useful, we still strongly recommend that you do not rely purely on them to gamble more responsibly. There are organisations in Australia that are qualified to help compulsive gamblers:

1. Gamblers Help Victoria: This service covers the Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania, Northern Territory, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia, making it an ideal avenue where help is available via community organisations. Their services vary: counselling, information, and advice by phone, via the website, or face-to-face assistance.
2. Gambling Harm Support SA: A joint project initiated in 1994 by the Adelaide Casino, Government of South Australia, Australian Hotels Association SA, and Clubs SA, GRF funds various programs and projects to support people experiencing gambling problems. Programs and projects include the 24/7 toll-free helpline, education to the communities, and further monitoring, evaluation, and research regarding past and possible future programs and projects. 
3. GambleAware NSW: It looks at the eradication of all harms brought about by excessive gambling through the provision of information and support in various communities in NSW. This process, upon application and after selection, is funded by the Responsible Gambling Fund.
4. ACT Gambling Support Service (AGSS): AGSS has accredited practitioners who can help you overcome your gambling problems by giving information, setting a path towards healing, and giving useful tips. They also have free financial counselling services available and peer support.
5. Anglicare Tasmania: It is a Christian organisation working to bring God's love into action in response to human needs and to seek improved opportunities for all Tasmanians to live full and satisfying lives. Among their many services is assistance for those who have a gambling addiction.
6. BetStop: It works under The National Self-Exclusion Register™. Benefits? It blocks access to all online gambling sites. 
7. Gambling Help Queensland: This one offers a complete range of support services, depending on your comfort and convenience level. Among them are online chat, face-to-face consultation, and a 24/7 helpline. Also, they have a great information and educational resource base to provide people with better awareness of the potential pitfalls of gambling and how not to get into them.
8. Amity Community Services: While Amity Community Services was established in 1976 under a different name, their operations have always been directed towards harm reduction strategies and projects to help members of the community. All of their programs and services are evidence-based, which will go a long way in improving the odds of overall effectiveness.
9. Gambling Help W.A: Gambling Help WA, through Centre Care - a Catholic non-profit organisation that caters to many different areas within the community - provides problem gamblers and their loved ones with a number of no-cost services, including individual and couples counselling, group therapy, and other types of consultations.

It is always better to prevent the consequences of gambling addiction than it is to gain and treat them. If you feel that you could have gambling-related problems, seek help immediately. So, always place bets carefully and track your behaviour to make sure placing bets remains a safe and fun activity!