Across Canberra, gambling rates are on the decline. Over the course of the past few years, we have seen residents across the area spending less time and money playing pokies and engaging in other types of gambling activities. A recent study by the Australian National University has found that there has been a 15% decline in the number of Canberra residents who gamble.
The research team surveyed 7000 individuals from across the area to find out about their recent gambling habits. In addition to investigating land-based gambling in Canberra, the study also took a look at the online gambling behaviour of residents in the area. From 2009 to 2014, the total gambling expenditure by adults in Canberra dropped by 19%.
Another significant shift occurred during this time, as well. In 2009, 30% of adults stated that they had not gambled in the year prior; by 2014, that number had risen to 45%. However, the number of problem gamblers in the state has remained the same in 2009 with 0.5% adults admitted to having a gambling addiction – compared to 0.8% in New South Wales, 1% in Victoria.
"What seems to be happening is that people who are low risk or who don't report many problems or they're just recreationally gambling are either quitting or cutting back," says Dr Tanya Davidson, an author of the study. "But what's happening amongst people who are gambling per se, the prevalence rates are pretty much similar.
To solve this issue, she states that it is important to target the players who gamble at higher levels. 8% of adults in the ACT spend $1000 per year gambling while 1% spend more than $5000. These are the players that are in need of support, as club and casino members staff could intervene to offer them exclusion or information about safe gambling.
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