Gambling Harm: How It Affects Players and Their Families

Lotteries, pokies, casino games and sports betting are a normal part of life in countries like New Zealand, Australia and the UK. Most people gamble without serious problems. But for a significant minority, gambling causes harm that reaches far beyond the money lost – and it affects the people around them too.

• Money. Debts, missed bills, borrowing from family, payday loans or using savings meant for something else.
• Mental health. Stress, anxiety, low mood and sleep problems. Gambling problems often go hand in hand with depression.
• Relationships. Arguments, broken trust and isolation, often because gambling is kept secret.
• Work and study. Lower performance, lost time and, in some cases, losing a job.
• Crime. In the most serious cases, people commit offences to fund gambling or cover losses.

Research suggests each person with a gambling problem affects between five and ten others, from partners and children to friends and colleagues.

Gambling harm can happen to anyone, but the risk is higher when:

• a person already lives with mental health problems;
• they use several gambling products, or bet on sport frequently;
• they spend large amounts, or gamble on unregulated offshore sites without safer gambling tools;
• alcohol or drugs are involved;
• they are isolated – for example, international students or people new to the country.

1. Set a budget you can afford to lose before you start, and never use money for bills or rent.
2. Use deposit limits and time-outs. Licensed online casinos must offer them – set them on day one, not after a bad session.
3. Do not chase losses. Treat money spent as the cost of entertainment, not as something to win back.
4. Take breaks and avoid gambling when you are stressed, upset or drinking.
5. Self-exclude if you need a longer break. In the UK, GAMSTOP blocks you from every licensed online casino at once.
6. Install blocking software on your phone and computer to make gambling sites harder to reach.

Free and confidential help is available:

• New Zealand: Gambling Helpline, 0800 654 655.
• Australia: Gambling Help Online, 1800 858 858.
• United Kingdom: National Gambling Helpline run by GamCare, 0808 8020 133.

Family members can contact these services too, even if the person who gambles is not ready to ask for help. To learn the early warning signs, see our guide to recognising problem gambling.