Across Australia and New Zealand, problem gambling is becoming increasingly prevalent, and researchers are trying to determine the most effective ways of dealing with the issue. At the Auckland Technical University, a team of researchers have recently tested the effectiveness of gambling helplines, and they have discovered some positive results.

According to the study, which was led by Professor Max Abbott, three quarters of callers to problem gambling helplines find the service effective. Of those that took part in the study, the majority were able to experience an improvement in their compulsive behaviour thanks to the intervention of a problem gambling counsellor. It was the first study of its kind to use real problem gamblers as participants, rather than volunteers.

Each participant was placed into one of four groups, which received a different type of counselling: 1) standard helpline treatment 2) one motivational interview, 3) one motivational interview and a self-help book 4) an interview plus, the self-help book and four motivational telephone interviews as follow-ups After receiving the treatment, the participants shared their progress at three months, six months and one year.

The researchers expected that the second and third options, the more intensive treatments, would be more effective than the rest. However, that wasn’t the case; instead, all four treatment methods produced similar results. "The really striking finding here is actually how well people do, generally speaking. It's pretty impressive," Dr Abbott said. “All the interventions work well and more treatment is not necessarily better than less”.

These results are very encouraging, proving that most problem gamblers can improve their compulsive behaviour with some support from a counsellor. As such, it is important for individuals across the country to recognize the signs of problem gambling, so they can refer friends, family and customers to gambling helplines and counselling services. More awareness will certainly reduce problem gambling rates.

About the Author

George Anderson
Author George, has over 25+ years’ experience in the Pokies and Casinos industry throughout Australia and New Zealand. Loves to research new Pokies games on the block and follows announcements from top industry providers about their upcoming releases. As soon as a new interesting pokie game appears on his radar, George is there to check it out and give you the scoop before anyone else and tell you about all casino sites where can play the latest game. Before this gig, George worked as Pokie game tester, making him an ideal candidate for this genre of work. He is also an animal lover and a proud owner of three dogs.