Australian Online Casino Foe Denies Problem Gambling Evidence
Proponents of expanded gaming and online casinos have often accused detractors of intransigence and demagoguery as the arguments used to oppose gambling fail to account for modern scientific evidence. Senator Nick Xenophon of Australia has made himself the poster boy for such attacks, as he says evidence problem gambling is in decline is a government "snow job."A study done as part of the New South Wales Population Health Survey found the percentage of residents suffering from problem gambling to be 0.4 percent, half of the 0.8 percent listed in a 2006 survey. South Australia and Queensland measured the same, while Victoria was found to have 0.7 percent compulsive gamblers.
Many Australians hailed the results, saying that the numbers indicated responsible gaming programs had been effective.
''These findings are very encouraging and we hope it's a sign that our high-quality counselling service and strict harm minimization laws are making a real difference,'' said Gaming and Racing Minister Kevin Greene.
But Xenophon, in a show of faith over science, does not accept the proof before his eyes, refusing to end his campaigns to censor the Internet, blocking online casinos, and to severely restrict slot machine licensing across the country.
''This survey shows just how desperate the New South Wales Government is to cover up the extent of problem gambling," stated the senator. ''The NSW government is hopelessly compromised when it rakes in well over $1 billion in poker (slot) machine taxes a year.''
Recent Comments
| Posted by: Sue Pinkerton | When: 03/08/2010 05:06:43 AM EST |
| "These findings are very encouraging and we hope it's a sign that our high-quality counselling service and strict harm minimization laws are making a real difference". Either that OR the numbers of problem gamblers have doubled and more people no longer have land lines! Given that the amount of money spent in poker machines has increased substantially in the years between surveys while the number of people actually playing them once a year or more has decreased (meaning fewer people are spending more money on the pokies than they did in 2006), the good Senators interpretation is more than valid. Sue Pinkerton Problem Gambling Research Consultant | |
| Posted by: Tom Weston | When: 03/08/2010 11:42:48 AM EST |
| Sue, if you are trained in problem gambling, you know that the preponderance of research shows that the percentage of problem gamblers in population remains static regardless of changes in environment. Either you are unaware of the scientific evidence, or you are being disingenuous to suit your own prejudices. Keith Whyte would be embarrassed by your position. | |
| Posted by: Sue Pinkerton | When: 03/08/2010 04:44:11 PM EST |
| Tom, if you accept as valid prevelance research showing that the proportion of problem gamblers has decreased since 2006, then you must also accept the validity of the research showing that the proportion of adults who actually use poker machines at least once per year has dropped while expenditure on poker machines has increased. If you do not accept as valid the finding that fewer people are spending more money (and therefore that more people must be experiencing financial harm as a result of their gambling), then you cannot accept the validity of the claim that the prevelance of problem gambling has fallen. Both sets of data come from the same pieces of research. There has been much criticism among researchers regarding gambling research methodology - especially research that is conducted via telephone. Problem gamblers have much to hide - IF they are at home when researchers call (telephone surveys ARE conducted when venues are at their busiest), IF they agree to answering the questions of researchers over the telephone (unlikely if their unknowing spouse is in the same room), they are more likely to lie about the extent of their gambling. If the research methodology is suspect, the findings cannot be declared valid - no matter whose purpose the findings suit. Think for a moment, IF the number of problem gamblers has actually doubled between 2006 and 2009 (I agree it's unlikely, but bear with me), there will not only be more people who will have had their phone disconnected due to none payment of their bills, there will also be more people who will refuse to answer survey questions, more people who will lie about how often they gamble and more people who will be out gambling when the calls come in. Thus prevelance data collected by telephone research could well show a drop in numbers of problem gamblers rather than an increase. Sue PS. There is research (conducted in South Carolina after machines were declared illegal and in Norway after the government made the private ownership of gambling machines illegal) that shows where gambling machines are taken out of service, the number of problem gamblers seeking help falls both rapidly and dramatically. These two examples alone show that changing the environment can affect the prevelance of problem gambling. | |
| Posted by: Tom Weston | When: 03/11/2010 03:28:02 PM EST |
| Sue, to suggest that a poll is inaccurate because a significant percentage has lost the use of phones due to problem gambling is disingenuous. Most objective scientific research has resulted in findings that problem gambling is symptomatic rather than causal. Studies indicate that impulse control and substance abuse issues are a result of imbalance in brain chemistry, rather than a result of exposure to stimuli such as increased gaming availability. This explains the phenomenon I previously referred to, the static nature of the percentage of problem gambling victims in all populations. It also means that those suffering will, without treatment, find other outlets for their disease; that is why the numbers of problem gamblers who also have alcohol and drug issues is so high. Expecting a restriction of gaming to help these people is doing them a disservice; they need counseling and therapy, not governmental bans and prohibitions. As Keith Whyte of the National Council on Problem Gambling told me, "I have never met a compulsive gambler who had trouble finding a way to bet or gamble, regardless of the law in effect." I have attached below just a handful of the voluminous work OCA has done covering scientific study of problem gambling, including testimony by Whyte and other problem gambling experts willing to take a scientific, rather than emotional, response. Clearly, problem gambling is a matter for treatment, not legislation. http://www.onlinecasinoadvisory.com/casino-news/land/problem-gambling-related-to-brain-chemistry-43497.htm http://www.onlinecasinoadvisory.com/casino-news/land/problem-gambling-drug-treatment-successful-43484.htm http://www.onlinecasinoadvisory.com/casino-news/land/problem-gambling-linked-to-genetic-disposition-43238.htm http://www.onlinecasinoadvisory.com/casino-news/online/online-casino-ban-no-help-to-problem-gamblers-43237.htm http://www.onlinecasinoadvisory.com/casino-news/online/gambling-addiction-caused-by-bipolar-disorders-1993.htm http://www.onlinecasinoadvisory.com/casino-news/online/problem-gambling-symptom-of-larger-illness-1760.htm http://www.onlinecasinoadvisory.com/casino-news/online/keith-whyte-discusses-problem-gambling-recognition-43011.htm | |
| Posted by: Tom Weston | When: 03/11/2010 03:28:34 PM EST |
| Sue, to suggest that a poll is inaccurate because a significant percentage has lost the use of phones due to problem gambling is disingenuous. Most objective scientific research has resulted in findings that problem gambling is symptomatic rather than causal. Studies indicate that impulse control and substance abuse issues are a result of imbalance in brain chemistry, rather than a result of exposure to stimuli such as increased gaming availability. This explains the phenomenon I previously referred to, the static nature of the percentage of problem gambling victims in all populations. It also means that those suffering will, without treatment, find other outlets for their disease; that is why the numbers of problem gamblers who also have alcohol and drug issues is so high. Expecting a restriction of gaming to help these people is doing them a disservice; they need counseling and therapy, not governmental bans and prohibitions. As Keith Whyte of the National Council on Problem Gambling told me, "I have never met a compulsive gambler who had trouble finding a way to bet or gamble, regardless of the law in effect." I have attached below just a handful of the voluminous work OCA has done covering scientific study of problem gambling, including testimony by Whyte and other problem gambling experts willing to take a scientific, rather than emotional, response. Clearly, problem gambling is a matter for treatment, not legislation. http://www.onlinecasinoadvisory.com/casino-news/land/problem-gambling-related-to-brain-chemistry-43497.htm http://www.onlinecasinoadvisory.com/casino-news/land/problem-gambling-drug-treatment-successful-43484.htm http://www.onlinecasinoadvisory.com/casino-news/land/problem-gambling-linked-to-genetic-disposition-43238.htm http://www.onlinecasinoadvisory.com/casino-news/online/online-casino-ban-no-help-to-problem-gamblers-43237.htm http://www.onlinecasinoadvisory.com/casino-news/online/gambling-addiction-caused-by-bipolar-disorders-1993.htm http://www.onlinecasinoadvisory.com/casino-news/online/problem-gambling-symptom-of-larger-illness-1760.htm http://www.onlinecasinoadvisory.com/casino-news/online/keith-whyte-discusses-problem-gambling-recognition-43011.htm | |
