New Zealand: study finds gambling addiction makes people isolate
A study from the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand suggests people with gambling addiction tend to withdraw from social groups.
New Zealand.- The Auckland University of Technology carried out a study to analyse the behaviour of people with gambling addiction problems and found out they tend to pull away from community groups without any apparent reason.
Maria Bellringer, Gambling and Addictions Research Centre associate professor, told the RNZ newspaper the finding could help experts identify people with gambling addiction problems more easily.
The study also found that people with gambling addictions have a poorer quality of life and weak health. They also tend to experience stressful life situations. The study found that people who resolve addiction problems see an improvement in their health.
The Health Promotion Agency reported that about 54,000 people in New Zealand gamble at a harmful level.
Last year the National Institute for Health Innovation launched an app called Manaaki to help people cut back on gambling. The app, which is being tested, aims to help users control urges to gamble and to give players the feeling they can change.
In March, the Department of Internal Affairs revealed that spending on pokies (slot machines) had reached NZ$252m (US$178m) in the period from October to December 2020, the highest quarterly spend since the Department of Internal Affairs began keeping records in 2007.
