This week, the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government announced that $16 million of the 2014-15 NSW Budget will be allocated to problem gambling programs. The money will be used to fund counselling programs and research initiatives as well as education and awareness programs across New South Wales.
Troy Grant, Minister for Hospitality, Gaming and Racing, also stated that a further $14 million will be allocated to community projects via the ClubGRANTS initiative. In the past, this money has been used to fund a wide range of projects across the state, including: $3 million for the Water Safety Program, $1 million for Youth Off The Street and $5 million the Valentine Sports Park.
This year, we can expect the $14 million to be used for similarly useful projects. “This combined $30 million to target problem gambling and support community projects represents a significant social investment across NSW,” says Mr Grant. “The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government is committed to limiting problem gambling and enhancing much needed infrastructure throughout the community,” Mr Grant said.
The problem gambling funding will be allocated to various programs. $865 000 will be given to the Gambling Helpline and $305,000 will be provided to the Gambling Help Online service (www.gamblinghelponline.org.au). Both of these programs offer confidential counselling any time of day and any day of the week, and the funding will ensure that there will be enough counsellors on hand to meet the demand.
$2 million will be spent on problem gambling awareness and education programs. This will include a major ad campaign that will target multicultural communities. A further $1.35 million will go towards problem gambling prevention and early intervention programs in Aboriginal communities, and $500 000 will support problem gambling research.
To learn more about the new 2014-15 budget, visit: https://www.nsw.liberal.org.au/news/state-news/30-million-problem-gambling-and-community-projects
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