What is your club doing to help problem gamblers?
To read the complete "Part of the Solution" policy document, please click here
Clubs across Australia are working hard to reduce problem gambling and this website outlines some of those ways in detail.
While the majority of Australians enjoy gambling responsibly, for some, excessive gambling behaviour can become a serious problem.
We know that problem gambling is a complex issue and there are no quick fix or silver bullet solutions.
That’s why we have been developing solutions over a number of years to assist problem gamblers, and we feel it is important to continue to trial and test measures to find solutions that work.
In 2000, the club industry launched Australia’s first comprehensive responsible gambling program in venues and we’ve been making improvements to it ever since.
This year, the club industry is rolling out an online self-exclusion scheme, designed to help problem gamblers get back in control.
Over the last decade, the rate of problem gambling has declined in every state and territory.
Australia now has one of the lowest problem gambling rates in the world, averaging less than 0.5% of the adult population.
However, as community-owned organisations, clubs care about the people, not just the statistics.
Australian clubs are committed to finding ways to drive the rate of problem gambling down even further.
Clubs are working with a range of stakeholders, including state governments, researchers, counsellors and community groups to assist those in need.
As an industry, we recognise that we cannot solve problem gambling on our own, but we will continue working to be part of the solution.
Below is a list of harm minimisation strategies used by clubs in Australia.
Harm Minimisation Measures Used by Clubs - Free counselling services for problem gamblers
- 24/7 telephone counselling
- Face-to-face counselling
- Online counselling
- Counselling for family and friends
- Advertising restrictions or bans
- State-wide caps on the number of poker machines
- Social impact assessments prior to an increase in poker machine numbers
- Restrictions on minors accessing gambling
- Bans on inducements (e.g. free alcohol)
- Bans on credit gambling
- Payment of large prizes via cheque
- Restrictions on the locations of ATMs
- Mandatory shutdown periods
- Restrictions on cash promotions
- Self-exclusion schemes
- Provision of information about problem gambling help services
- Compulsory responsible gambling training for staff
- Clocks in gaming areas
- Signage creating awareness about the risks of excessive gambling
In addition, there are a large number of restrictions governing the design of poker machines in clubs, making Australian poker machines some of the most heavily regulated in the world:
Restrictions on Poker Machine Design Features - Minimum return to player percentage
- Maximum bet, prize and cash input limits
- A ban on auto-play
- A ban on misleading display of results (e.g. falsely indicating a player just missed a jackpot)
- A ban on features that give the player an illusion of control over the outcome
- Prize probability limits
- Limits on payout volatility
- Display of clocks
Additional jurisdictionally-specific restrictions also apply. For example, the
NSW Gaming Machines Prohibited Features Register contains the following additional requirements:
- A ban on non-linear pay tables
- A limit on the maximum number of free spins
- A ban on depictions of real money (e.g. $50 notes)
- Restrictions on game names and themes
- A ban on player inducement messages (e.g. ‘try again’, ‘have another go’)
- Restrictions on advertising the maximum prize
- Further restrictions on the return to player for multi-denomination games
- A ban on requiring ante-bets to be eligible for jackpots
- Restrictions on button panel layouts
- Limits on ante-bets for feature games
- Restrictions on minimum bet (minimum bet should be 1 credit)