May 26, 2014  Gambling and the workplace is the theme for this year’s Responsible Gambling Awareness Week with employers and employees encouraged to look out for and assist colleagues. Minister for Hospitality, Gaming and Racing, Troy Grant, said Responsible Gambling Awareness Week, from 26 to 31 May, is an opportunity to raise awareness about problem. In a perfect world, the available rules can be so favorable that they give responsible gambling awareness week australia the player an actual edge over the house.

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• »Queensland Prepares for Responsible Gambling Awareness Week

Various parts of Australia set aside a week each year to focus on public awareness of problem gambling and furthermore, ways to reduce gambling harm. The first of several efforts in 2019 ends on August 4 in Queensland with Responsible Gambling Awareness Week.

Health Check Suggested

The Honourable Yvette D’Ath, Attorney General and Minister for Justice, is urging Queenslanders to perform a “health check” on their habits.

Responsible Gambling Awareness Week has been running this week and ends on Sunday, August 4.

D’Ath hopes that people will take the final days of the week to examine their gambling actions and impacts. “While many people gamble socially and do so without issues,” she said, “some, unfortunately, do experience harm from gambling. This harm may negatively impact their health, wellbeing, work, study, relationships, and finances.”

The awareness she wants to create includes Queenslanders looking at the way they gamble, and also including how much time and money they spend individually. It can also include taking a look at friends and family. With the goal of detecting any possible risky or dangerous behavior in their activities.

It is also a week to remind people that there is help. Services are provided via betting help services, many of which are provided by more than $6.7 million in funding. These include:

• Face-to-face counseling
• Telephone helpline available 24 hours a day
• Gambling Help Online counseling service
• Residential outpatient service at a Brisbane drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility
• Training program for screening for problem gambling

“Increasing the community’s understanding of gambling problems can reduce the stigma attached to problem gambling,” D’Ath noted, “and the time between when problems develop and help is sought.”

New Training Videos Released

D’Ath made an announcement during Responsible Gambling Awareness Week as well.

“I’m pleased to see the release this week of four Responsible Service of Gambling training videos created specifically for licensees and staff in gaming venues, to educate and empower staff to support those affected by gambling problems.”

The “Respect and Refer” video shows the wife of a problem gambler at a venue looking for her husband, suspecting he has a gambling problem. She approaches an employee of the venue to ask if they have seen him. It examines the ways that the employee reacts and what they could do differently to better support the woman and let her know of the help available.

A follow-up video goes further with the wife of the problem gambler to show the employee of the venue offering various types of help for her and her husband. Options are presented so she knows there are choices for both of them.

Another video shows a gambler who spends long periods of time at the venue and makes frequent visits to the ATM to withdraw more money. He also exhibits anger toward staff and other patrons at the venue until an employee approaches him to ask if he’d like to take a break from gambling. This presents the opportunity to discuss various ways to deal with this gambler.

A follow-up video shows the conversation between the aforementioned gambler and the venue’s Customer Liaison Officer (CLO). It shows how the CLO can speak to him in a non-judgmental way and present some options for assistance.

Ultimately, the government hopes to provide more resources for those in positions of influence so they are better able to detect signs of problem gambling and step in respectfully to offer suggestions and help.

Queensland Supporting Consumer Protections

D’Ath noted her and the government’s strong support of the National Consumer Protection Framework for Online Wagering from the Australian government’s Department of Social Services.

The framework offered 10 minimum protection measures that the government urged to be implemented in all parts of Australia for customers of online gaming services. D’Ath also noted that six of the measures have been implemented in Queensland, and the other four are in progress.

The 10 measures are:

• Prohibiting lines of credit from financial institutions
• Restricting payday lender reach by stopping their ads and referrals to payday lenders
• Requiring customer verification within 14 days of registration
• Restricting inducements and incentives to gamble more
• Providing simple and easy-to-find ways to close gambling accounts
• Providing an option to set deposit limits
• Requiring meaningful activity statements to increase awareness of spending
• Providing consistent gambling messaging
• Training staff in responsible gambling and reducing harm
• Providing a self-exclusion register

The measures are being implemented on a national and local scale in accordance with the 2017 Interactive Gambling Amendment Act.

“We all have a role to play in minimizing the negative impacts of problem gambling on Queenslanders,” D’Ath added. The strengthening of regulation and controls is helping, especially with the growing availability of interactive wagering.

Help is also available on the Queensland Gambling Help website.

• »News
• »NSW Prepares for Responsible Gambling Awareness Week

The New South Wales Government is dedicated to monitoring gambling in its territory through its Office of Responsible Gambling. For one week in September, there will be an extra bright spotlight on the issue of gambling harm and how to gamble responsibly.

RGAW

RGAW stands for Responsible Gambling Awareness Week.

Different parts of Australia celebrate it and use it at various times, but New South Wales has chosen to set it for September 16-22, 2019.

The purpose of dedicating a week to responsible gambling is to put forth extra resources to increase awareness about gambling in general but with a special focus on gambling harm in local communities.

NSW wants to take the opportunity to increase the community’s understanding of risky gambling behavior. The hope is to teach and encourage gamblers to recognize when their gambling may be harmful to themselves or others. The next step is to provide information including practical ways to keep gambling under control.

For those who have gambling problems, NSW’s Office of Responsible Gambling wants to ensure that they know how and where to get help.

Theme: Check In

The theme this year for RGAW is “Check In.”

It means that people will be encouraged to check on their own gambling, as well as to check in on friends, family members, and even colleagues.

There is a “Check In” online tool. People of NSW will be directed to the Office of Responsible Gambling website to use the tool for themselves or others.

For example, if a person goes to the “Check In” page, they can choose to check in on “my own” gambling or “someone else’s.” These are the follow-up screens:

• How do they gamble? (at a venue, online, or both) (Let’s choose venue for this example.)
• Do they gamble alone or with others? (alone, with others, or both) (Let’s choose both.)
• How do you feel about the time they spend gambling? Is it… (a lot more than I’d like, a little more than I’d like, or not too much) (Let’s choose a lot more than I’d like.)
• How do you feel about the money they spend gambling? Is it… (a lot more than I’d like, a little more than I’d like, or not too much) (Let’s choose a little more than I’d like.)

Those selections then result in tips. The screen reads: “Thank you for checking in. Here are some big and small changes you could suggest.”

It then goes into 17 suggestions, with these as the first few listed:

• Do something different with the friends you normally gamble with.
• Have someone in your life who you can talk to openly about gambling.
• Take up a new hobby or get back into an activity you used to enjoy.
• Set an alarm on your phone to limit the time you spend gambling.

It should be noted that anyone is welcome to “check in” anonymously. There is no point at which the person on the computer is asked for a name, address, email, or phone number.

Events Scheduled Thus Far

All clubs, community groups, schools, and other venues are encouraged to host events throughout the RGAW in September.

NSW’s Office of Responsible Gambling will provide numerous resources posters, brochures, and informational packets that can be transmitted digitally or in person.

Responsible Gambling Awareness Week Australia 2017

Some of the events already on the calendar are as follows:

• September 5: CatholicCare Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains – Community Breakfast Group at Aboriginal Catholic Services (to be held in conjunction with Child Protection Week)
• September 13: BaptistCare HopeStreet Gambling Help – RGAW launch
• September 13: BaptistCare Gambling Help Open Day in Bondi Junction
• September 16-19: ONE80TC – RGAW Pop Up stand in Windsor RSL
• September 17: BaptistCare HopeStreet Gambling Help – Check-in morning tea
• September 18: Lifeline Broken Hill Country to Coast – RGAW check-in event in Wilcannia

There are numerous other events from Fairfield to Wagga Wagga. There are carnivals and teas, golf days and wellness fairs.

An interesting event will be held at the University of Sydney on September 19. The GTRC and Poche Centre for Indigenous Health will coordinate for a training day. They will cover education about problem gambling with a focus on aboriginal culture for gambling counselors.

Other Forms of Participation

People need not attend an event to use RGAW to take stock of one’s own gambling or take a serious look at the behaviors of others.

The NSW Office of Responsible Gambling is asking people to use the theme as a hashtag on social media as #CheckIn to express support and encourage others to do the same.

National Gambling Awareness Month

There are also resources available online or by contacting the office for anyone who needs help or information to pass along to a friend or family member.