Stay Away From Online Gambling
With Australia’s 194,000 pokie machines forcibly shut down in response to the closure of the nation’s pubs, clubs and casinos many of the 15 – 25% of Australians who regularly gamble are having to go without. Or are they? Online gambling has risen in popularity over recent weeks with many regular gamblers moving online and new ones just logging on to relieve themselves from feelings of stress and boredom. And whilst pokie operators will loose an estimated 7.5 billion dollars in pokie revenues in this nationwide shutdown, online pokie operators are finding new creative ways to induce people to bet.
Associate Professor in the School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine at Monash University, Charles Livingstone joined The Daily to discuss the dangers of online gambling and lack of regulation in this space in a time where many regular gamblers have lost their accessibility to a physical machine.
If you or someone you care about is running into trouble with gambling, contact Gambling Helpline (1800 858 858 – free, confidential, any time 24 hours). Or visit Gambling Help NSW website
