Thursday, September 21, 2006

Stories of suicide, bankruptcy and broken families were heard at an
international problem gambling conference held in Auckland. A New Zealand
teenager has even written a song about how his mother's addiction made his
life hell. Although there are less gambling addicts seeking help this year,
researchers say it may be a simple blip caused by anti-smoking laws. "You
don't even know that it's affecting them until its too late and you've lost
everything. And that's what I wrote my song about, the effects on
families," says rapper Lil' Tyrone. Up to 2% of New Zealanders are addicted
to some form of gambling. A problem experts at the conference in Auckland
debated why, and what to do. "I think New Zealand and Australia basically
present the worst type of examples to the world, because we have these very
high intensity gaming machines/casino style gaming machines or machines of
that type where you can lose a lot of money very quickly, out in our
communities," says Dr James Doughney, Victoria University of Melbourne
Researcher. Duty of Care is an Australian group of 300 former gamblers who
are taking a class action against the whole industry, from the pokie machine
designers to the state governments.

"Within eight weeks of starting to play those machines I was hooked and
badly," says Sue Pinkerton of Duty of Care. "The amount that we're claiming
is going to be heard. It is a very significant amount, hopefully it will
break the industry if we're successful," she says.

Pinkerton lost tens of thousands of dollars before she managed to quit the
pokies and her friend attempted suicide.

"My friend's suicide note - by the way she had a 10-year-old daughter - and
her note said 'I've tried and tried and tried to quit. But what good am I as
a parent that I can't even control my own behaviour. This is the only way I
know to stop myself from going to the machines'."

Kiwis loose $2 billion a year gambling. But researchers say there have
been less problem gamblers seeking help this year.

"The numbers are definitely down and the obvious thing appears to be the
smoking ban that's come in. Now the challenge is to keep that moving in the
right direction," says gambling researcher Professor Max Abbott.

But some say the smoking ban has simply caused a blip and the problem is
likely to return.

Doughney says these are in fact death causing industries.

"Look at it from that side and you take a much tougher view I think."

Lil' Tyrone is very thankful his mother gave up gambling.

"I'm proud of my mum for giving up gambling. Very proud. 'Cause really if
it wasn't for my mum I wouldn't have grown stronger in this case in gambling
and I know to not do it, to not do it at all 'cause I don't want the next
generation of my family to go through that thing. So yeah I thank my mum,"
he says.