NSW Seeks to Help Gambling Addicts from Diverse Backgrounds

The New South Wales (NSW) Government will seek to help more at-risk and problem gamblers by introducing a new program to this end. The new program will focus specifically on diverse communities, with Arabic, Korean, Chinese, Hindi, and Vietnamese among the recipient of the benefits.

NSW to Seek and Help People Speak Up about Addiction

NSW will run a four-month campaign that will encompass various promotional messages designed to raise awareness about the pernicious consequences of problem gambling with these particular groups. “The Number that Changed our Life” will be available across social media, TV, radio, and print media to ensure that it drives the message home.

The program is also focused on helping people who already suffer from problems with gambling and addiction to get the help they need. The government acknowledges that these efforts may be coming a little too late, but NSW is now set to make amendments.

Speaking on the occasion of the program’s announcement, Minister for hospitality and racing Kevin Anderson said that culturally diverse communities were actually less likely to gamble. However, they were also more likely to experience problem gambling once they did try participating in games of chance.

This is precisely why the government has focused its efforts to make sure that these groups get adequate help and assistance. Minister for multiculturalism Mark Coure offered a more thoughtful look into why the campaign was necessary and the unique difficulties that these groups faced. He said:

It can be difficult for anyone to come forward and ask for help. For some, there may be cultural sensitivities to gambling, which makes it harder for them to talk to their families or friends, or which may make recognizing when someone is in trouble harder to identify.

Minister for multiculturalism Mark Coure

Coure believes that the most important aim of the campaign is to ensure that people can break away from old-fashioned notions and step forward and speak up about their problems without fearing any repercussions or stigma. Once people in the need of help reach out, they will find the assistance they need to start addressing their addiction.

The Number That Changes People’s Lives Is GambleAware’s

But the hardest part remains speaking up in the first place, says NSW Office of Responsible Gambling’s Natalie Wright. She commented on the slogan of the campaign and said that the number that would actually change people’s lives is GambleAware’s counseling service number, which will help those suffering from gambling addiction to actually start recovering. Communities in Australia do need help to tackle the problem of gambling. In Victoria, a recent study showed that more than $66 billion was spent on gaming machines in the past 30 years. Meanwhile, NSW has introduced new and tougher regulations to ensure that local operators and particularly the biggest casinos comply with the country and state’s AML and CTF laws.