Ashley Gordon, a former rugby player for the Newcastle Knights, will be leading a three-year campaign to tackle problem gambling in New South Wales. The program will be focused on the growing issue of problem gambling among Aboriginal communities in the state. Mr Gordon has been dedicated working with Aboriginal communities ever since retiring from the rugby league.

Since 2008, he has worked on intervention and treatment programs across New South Wales. He is a trained drug addiction and alcohol counsellor, and he is specially focused on counselling individuals who have been affected by gambling addiction. "We start talking there about strategies and what we can do, and we need to inform them of community services and counsellors that are available to them,” he says.

“So we're in the next stage of really making some wonderful results by getting back to the communities that we've already been to." He also notes that problem gambling is commonly linked to alcohol abuse, child neglect and domestic violence. As part of his campaign, Mr Gordon also hopes to tackle these issues as well, and their relation to gambling addiction.

The campaign received $1.8 million from the NSW government, and it will run for three years. Several community events will be hosted to attract attention to the growing issue of problem gambling among NSW Aboriginals. Campaign workers aims to help problem gamblers connect with counselling services that have been specially designed for Aboriginal individuals. This campaign is a much-needed initiative in New South Wales.

More and more Aboriginals are in need of problem gambling help, and it is important that specially-trained counsellors are available to help them conquer their addictions. We hope to see Gordon’s campaign make a difference in problem gambling rates and in the lives of NSW residents.

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.