GambleAware Week, 16 to 22 October, is an annual initiative to increase awareness of gambling and gambling harm.
It’s an opportunity to increase our community’s understanding of risky gambling behaviour, encourage gamblers to recognise when their gambling may place them at risk of harm, and provide information on practical ways to keep their gambling under control.
This year’s theme What’s gambling costing you? is encouraging people to think about the costs of gambling not only on their finances but also the impacts on health, relationships or careers.
As we near GambleAware Week, this special feature looks at gambling in South Western Sydney and where our community can turn for support.
Gambling harm impacts not only individuals but communities around them.
SWSPHN’s 2022 Needs Assessment found there are high levels of gambling harm in South Western Sydney, particularly in the Fairfield Local Government Area (LGA)1.
The NSW Gambling Survey2 showed one in two adults in NSW gamble, with lotteries and instant scratch lottery tickets comprising 50 per cent of the total gambling methods.
However, 16 per cent of the total are gaming machines2, and are considered to present the greatest risk of harm1.
It is estimated one per cent of adults in NSW fall within the severe end of problem gambling and are experiencing harm related to gambling such as financial harm, breakdown of relationships, psychological distress, impaired functioning at work and are more likely to commit criminal activities.
For each person experiencing gambling harm, five to 10 others are impacted3.
According to Liquor and Gaming NSW4 as of April 2023 there are a total of 3,788 gaming machines in clubs and hotels in Fairfield LGA.
Between June and November 2022, gambling profits for clubs only in the Fairfield LGA were more than $225 million.
These are the highest profits in NSW, followed by Bankstown LGA with more than $204 million, Cumberland LGA with over $132 Million and the Central Coast LGA with over $121 million.
It is noted both Bankstown and Cumberland LGAs border Fairfield LGA, with the combined gambling profits for clubs of more than $562 million.
Although specific profits for gaming machines in hotels are not listed, it is noted three out of 10 of the top-ranking hotels for gaming machine profits for NSW are in Fairfield LGA4.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics5 in 2021, Fairfield LGA was one of the most disadvantaged Local Government Areas in Australia.
Is gambling affecting your life, get help by speaking with your GP or visit one of these sites for support:
Sources:
- 2022 South Western Sydney Primary Health Network Needs Assessment, SWSPHN 2022
- NSW Gambling Survey 2019, Office of Responsible Gambling NSW, 2020
- Enhancing gambling harm screening and referrals to gambling support services in general practice and community service settings in Fairfield LGA: A pilot study, Nguyen, McGhie et al 2020
- Six-Monthly Gaming Machine Data – Liquor & Gaming NSW
- Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), Australia, 2021 | Australian Bureau of Statistics (abs.gov.au)