NSW launches new youth gambling prevention campaign

A study found that almost 70 per cent of parents who gambled did so in the presence of their children.

Australia.- The New South Wales Office of Responsible Gambling has launched a public awareness campaign on social and other media platforms to promote discussions about the potential risks of exposing minors to gambling. It includes videos for parents and guardians on how to minimise young people’s exposure to gambling plus fact sheets and contact details for support services on the GambleAware.nsw.gov.au website.

It comes after a study into the Role of Parents in Youth Gambling, funded by the NSW Responsible Gambling Fund (RGF), found that almost 70 per cent of parents who gambled in the previous year did so in the presence of their children.

The report concluded that parental conduct significantly impacts the attitudes of adolescents towards gambling. Other key risk factors were the use of video games similar to gambling, poor parental supervision and less positive relationships between parents and adolescents.

Among the 947 parents surveyed, more than a quarter (27 per cent) stated that their adolescent had engaged in some form of gambling in the previous 12 months, with the most common activities being instant scratch cards, lottery tickets, and lotto games.

See also: Australian online gambling credit card ban enters force

Alison Parkinson, director of the Office of Responsible Gambling, said: “Young people are now, more than ever, exposed to gambling via video games, advertising, watching sports and through social media so it’s vital we educate children and young people about the gambling risks.

“Parents and carers have the greatest influence on youth gambling and their children’s attitudes towards it and I encourage them to monitor their children’s exposure to gaming and gambling, and to talk to them about the risks. Things you can do include not gambling in front of your children or teenagers, not helping them to gamble, talking to them about the risks of gambling and supervising them online.”

Kaitlyn Sturges, Gamble Aware Community Engagement officer in South-Western Sydney, added: “It is important for parents and carers to be curious about the games children play and what they contain. Gaming can have a positive role in a young person’s life, but the games they play can also expose them to gambling and gambling-like activities.

“Many parents and carers haven’t reviewed their own attitudes towards gambling, chance and luck, and how that might trickle down to young people. A lot of young people are ill-informed about the concepts of randomness and chance, but I firmly believe that they can make informed decisions if we provide them with the necessary education.”

See also: NSW boosts Responsible Gambling Fund