Mission Australia has welcomed a report by the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW which calls for greater efforts to help engage Indigenous communities on the issue of problem gambling.

The report claims that while gambling is a “high level” problem in many Indigenous communities, those affected did not often utilise the mainstream services that are available to support people with a gambling addiction.

Anita Hartley from Mission Australia’s North Coast Gambling Counselling Service said work was already underway to create greater awareness of gambling support programs among Indigenous communities and to make sure that services addressed the particular needs of Indigenous problem gamblers.

“The main reason why gambling is a significant problem in Indigenous communities is because of the lack of alternative recreational activities,” Anita said.

“In other words, there aren’t the sporting facilities and social opportunities available to Indigenous people which would help divert them away from getting involved in gambling.

“The change in the nature of gambling in Indigenous communities has also contributed to the problem. Historically, gambling in Indigenous communities (eg: card games) was used to provide for families. Resources gambled stayed inside the community and helped support it.

“But money placed in poker machines is lost to the community and does not provide any benefits – on the contrary, it creates serious issues.

“Mainstream gambling support services have also often been developed without consultation with Indigenous communities – that is, without asking them about their specific needs and without training and employing gambling counsellors from Indigenous backgrounds, etc.

“At Mission Australia’s North Coast Gambling Service we are actively working with Indigenous communities in Kempsey, Port Macquarie and Taree to increase awareness of the work we do and how we can help people with gambling problems.

“We are also working to create a strong network within Indigenous communities so that their specific needs can be identified. We can then tailor our programs to make sure those needs are addressed in the appropriate way.

“In terms of the bigger picture, Mission Australia encourages those responsible for gambling policy in NSW and elsewhere to engage Indigenous organisations more closely in developing programs to help problem gamblers.

“Gambling is a serious problem among Indigenous communities and we need to make sure we have the awareness campaigns and support services available that will actually make a difference,” said Anita.

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