August 06, 2018
Pokie plague putting Māori at risk
The percentage of people gambling is dropping but levels of gambling-related harm remain unchanged, with Māori and Pacific peoples at greater risk.
Those are some of the findings in the latest report from the latest National Gambling Study, which tracks gamblers over a number of years.
Gambling and Addictions Research Centre director Max Abbott says gambling participation dropped from 80 percent in 2012, to 75 percent in 2015.
In any given year, just over one percent or 40,000 adults become problem or moderate-risk gamblers, and in the year following, 40 percent of problem gamblers remain problem gamblers and continue to experience destructive consequences and harm to family members and wider society.
Professor Abbott says Māori and Pacific peoples may be much more likely to develop problems because of the concentration of electronic gaming machines in high deprivation communities.
He believes an accumulating pool of past problem gamblers are relapsing over time and are being joined by first time problem gamblers from high deprivation groups and neighbourhoods, so rates of harm have not fallen with declining gambling participation rates.
Other research shows that gambling-related harm significantly outweighs the harm associated with drug misuse and comes close to that linked with major depression and alcohol dependence.
Policy implications from the study include the need to pay greater attention to relapse prevention through strengthened public policy, education and treatment measures.
Reducing electronic gaming machine numbers in vulnerable communities as well as moves to address economic and social disparities in educational attainment, housing and employment can be expected to reduce mental health and addiction disorders generally.
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