The Star: May 21, 2020

Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Concerns problem gambling
Thursday May 21 2020 The Star
NEWS 11
could rise under Covid-19 climate
With financial hardship
and unemployment on
the rise as a result of
the Covid-19 crisis, could
problem gambling
follow suit? Louis Day
investigates
THE NUMBER of people on
the job seeker benefit across
Canterbury rose by 4.8 per cent
last month compared to the same
period last year.
The situation is likely to worsen
with the city’s economic development
agency ChristchurchNZ
forecasting
up to 36,500
jobs will be
lost across the
region over
the next 12
months.
A recent
Dr Ekant Veer
survey from
the Canterbury
Employers’
Chamber of Commerce
showed 63 per cent out of 470
businesses across the region were
experiencing “significant financial
impacts” from Covid-19. The
survey also showed 30 per cent
of businesses believed their staffing
numbers would have to be
reduced by more than 25 per cent
in order to survive.
Canterbury University professor
of marketing Dr Ekant Veer,
who closely studies social change
and consumption patterns, said
research showed there was a link
between problem gambling and
financial hardship.
“We know that people who
are facing financial hardship in
general, not necessarily who are
unemployed, are more likely to
gamble. As we see a society in
where everyone’s incomes are
taking a hit we may see gambling
rise as a result of that,” he said.
Statistics show gambling in
New Zealand has been on a
steady incline for the last nine
years.
SPIKE: The financial hardship brought on by Covid-19 restrictions and economic
downturn is expected to bring a spike in problem gambling.
PHOTO: GETTY
In 2011 New Zealanders spent
$2 billion on gambling. Last
year it had increased to $2.4 billion.
The most popular form of
gambling last year was gaming
machines outside of casinos at
$924 million which was followed
by the $616 million spent inside
of casinos.
Salvation Army Oasis Centre
for Problem Gambling team
leader Graham Payne expected to
see a spike in gambling as restrictions
eased, with a particular
concern over pokie machines
within pubs and bars. He has
helped problem gamblers with
their addictions since 1992.
“When people who have got
gambling issues haven’t done it
for a while there is going to be
that catch-up phase, that is how
they operate, ‘I haven’t done it for
a while I need to catch up I have
saved all this money.’ I feel that
issues could really increase over
the first three to six months with
the pubs reopening,” he said.
Mr Payne had also witnessed
an increase in online gambling
over the lockdown period and
expected it to continue even as
other forms of gambling are
made available.
He said early signs of gambling
becoming an addiction were that
Andrée
Froude
you were spending more time
and money gambling than
intended, starting to lie about
your behaviour, constantly
thinking about
gambling,
chasing your
losses, isolating
yourself from
loved ones and
blaming others
for your problems.
Problem
Gambling
Foundation spokeswoman
Andrée Froude echoed Mr
Payne’s concerns around
GAMBLING ADDICTION
SERVICES
THE SALVATION ARMY
OASIS SUPPORT
People with an addiction
and those being affected
by it. Services are free and
confidential.
Phone: 03 365 9659
or 0800 53 00 00
Salvationarmy.org.nz/oasis
PROBLEM GAMBLING
FOUNDATION
Help is free and confidential
to anyone affected by
gambling harm.
Phone: 0800 664 262
Email: help@pgf.nz
Trained counsellors are also
available on live chat from
8:30am to 5pm, Monday to
Friday at: www.pgf.nz
pokie machines.
“Pokies are the most harmful
form of gambling in New
Zealand. The majority of people
that seek help for a gambling
problem do so because of pokie
machines,” she said.
The foundation is currently
urging the Government to cut
back the country’s pokie machines
in coalition with The
Salvation Army and Māori health
agency Hapai te Hauora.
Ms Froude said the main reason
behind this was to reduce the
reliance community groups have
on grants from pokie trusts,
but also to reduce gamblingrelated
harm across the country.
A letter from the coalition to
Internal Affairs Minister Tracey
Martin said the Government
could easily replace the $242
million worth of pokie grants
from within its own funds and
argued the shutdown of pubs
and pokie machines due to the
pandemic presented a “golden
opportunity” for an overhaul of
the system.
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