Australia’s Victorian State Spurs Indigenous Communities to Tackle Gambling

Australia is considered one of the most gambling countries in the world – there are many gambling establishments here. people play almost without exception, and the budget is largely replenished by deductions from casinos. However, part of society also points out that excessive enthusiasm for slot machines can ruin lives. Representatives of indigenous peoples are at particular risk – they are very vulnerable to the influence of gambling, they often cannot stop in time and lose everything completely. In this regard, the government of Victoria has decided to launch a special program that would raise the level of awareness of young people about the possible dangers of gambling. In the first phase, the program will target residents of Wadawurrung Country.

Strong Brother Strong Sister, an Aboriginal organization, will partner with the government in the implementation of the program and will be trusted to select the people in Geelong who need help. These may include both the gambling addicts themselves and their family members. In total, they plan to allocate 250 thousand dollars for the program lasting 1 year and 3 months.

The organization will work with schools and sports clubs, correctional facilities, and child protection services, as well as elders and individual families to identify victims of uncontrolled gambling. This is nothing new for Strong Brother Strong Sister – since 2017 they have been engaged in the personal development of indigenous people, have managed to help more than 2 thousand people. Classes with young people are conducted both in groups and individually.

Officials whose work is in one way or another related to the regulation of gambling have already spoken out in the spirit that the new endeavor will be very beneficial for indigenous youth.