A growing problem across Australasia is the issue of parents leaving their children unattended while they visit casinos and other gambling venues. We have seen this problem develop over time and, while authorities have taken action to discourage parents from doing so, the problem keeps arising.
Recently, parents from the Northern Territory were warned by police after their 15-week-old baby was found abandoned in a car while they visited a pokie club to play casino games. To make matters worse, the child had casts on both of his legs, as he was recovering from corrective surgery. At 15-weeks-old, he was barely equipped to take care of himself – and the fact that he was incapacitated put him in harm’s way even further.
“At 15 weeks of age — that’s if anything happened — that child couldn’t do anything,” says Senior Sergeant Harrison. The police had only issued a warning, and passed the case on to Northern Territory’s Children and Family Services. At this point, counsellors and child welfare professionals will decided whether or not the parents should be able to keep the child.
A spokesperson for the department has stated that they cannot offer any further comments on the situation. However, they did state that any allegations of child abuse are seriously investigated. A similar situation occurred two years ago, when two parents from New Zealand left their five children locked in a car while they visited a casino.
They were not let off with a warning. Rather, they sat before a judge and jury to determine whether or not they should face time in jail. There are no hard and fast rules for parents who abandon their children to visit casinos, so each case is dealt with differently.
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