Problem Gambling & Help for Australian Players
Addiction to gambling is described as problem gambling or compulsive gambling. The player spends more time and money on online gambling than he can afford to. If he stops gambling he starts experiencing symptoms of depression. Only a small percentage of the population suffers from this malaise. However, you must ensure that you do not fall in this category.
The opposite of problem gambling is responsible gambling. The best Online Casino Australian recommended online casinos, which are listed below, foster responsible gambling. They tell you what the early signs of problem gambling are and from where you can seek help.
All Australian Online Casino recommended online casinos promote responsible gambling amongst their players. You need to click the Responsible Gaming link on the home page and check out the advice given. One of the important tools provided is a checklist that you should test yourself against periodically. It will tell you whether you are prone to problem gambling. Should you not score well in the test you should follow the advice given for remedial action.
Problem Gambling Self-Assessment Test
Sample questions from several online casinos are given below.
- Do you gamble more money than you originally plan to?
- Has your expenditure on gambling been increasing steadily?
- Do you dip into your savings in order to meet your gambling requirements?
- Do you defer essential expenditure like house maintenance in order to gamble?
- Do you borrow or steal money in order to gamble?
- Do you miss work to fulfill your gambling urge?
- Do you avoid social engagements with friends and family so that you can stay back and gamble?
- Is your gambling habit affecting your work and family life?
- Do you feel depressed and lost when you are not gambling?
- Do you feel compelled to recover your losses immediately while gambling?
- Do you hide the fact that you are gambling a lot from your family?
- Do you keep secret the amounts wagered or amounts lost in gambling from your family?
If the number of questions to which you have answered "yes" is increasing every time you take the test, then you are a problem gambling candidate and need to act immediately.
If the self-assessment test shows that you are prone to problem gambling, the first step that you must take is informing your family. Family support will prove crucial in your fight against problem gambling. You can try out the various facilities provided at Australian online casinos like setting maximum betting limits and exercising the self-exclusion periods. But it is always better to seek professional help immediately. Fortunately in Australia there are a large number of expert agencies that offer assistance to problem gamblers. Online Casino Australian highlights a few of these below.
Professional Problem Gambling Assistance
Gambling Help Online is funded through a joint agreement between the states and the Australian Government. It can be accessed online 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. The problem gambler can immediately take counselling from an expert or he can join an ongoing discussion to get the feel of how the therapy works. The agency provides self-help tools and also assesses the problem gambler’s situation in a professional manner. If there is someone in your family who needs help but is unwilling to come out in the open, you can start the interaction on his behalf. The website of Gambling Help Online is https://www.gamblinghelponline.org.au/ and the emergency telephone number is 1800 858 858.
Relationships Australia offers problem gambling assistance as a part of its larger family counselling work. The agency offers two specialist programs called Break Even and Gambler's Help that provide face-to-face counselling services, explore the factors which trigger the behaviour and help in controlling gambling behaviour. The website of Relationships Australia is http://www.relationships.org.au and the telephone number is 1300 364 277.
