5 top tips to reduce gambling harm
Australians love to gamble, and the data shows us the harder a person’s life is, the more likely they are to gamble in a risky way.
Financial counsellors are trained to help people in financial trouble free of charge. One area of speciality for financial counsellors is to help people reduce the harm of gambling. These are their 5 top tips.
Top 5 tips
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Build a workable budget
Building a picture through budgets of what money is coming in, and how it is going out helps to reveal how much is available to gamble safely. Even a simple pie chart helps people to see how much of their income is needed to pay bills and debt and how much is left over to play with. Budgets are hard to stick to, but they are an excellent guide for making decisions for prioritising spending.
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Manage debts
By pulling together a list of all the money owed and how urgent they need to be paid back also helps people to feel in control of their spending. Debt can have an emotional and psychological impact especially when there isn’t income enough to pay back debt and live.
Our counsellors can help to access your credit records, and talk about the options available for paying back debts in a manageable way.
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Protect your assets
Problem gamblers sometimes use their assets as security for a loan or to gamble with. This is especially true for essentials like cars and phones. By working with our financial counsellors to secure and protect assets, the harm done by gambling can be reduced.
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Voluntarily exclude yourself from gambling places
There are laws in the NT that allow you to make an agreement with your favourite gambling spot to not let you enter or gamble for up to four years. Our counsellors have found that simply not going into gambling venues helps to break the circuit of habit or addiction.
Exclusion forms and guidelines can be found here, but our counsellors are able to help too.
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Use support
Problem gambling is not a new issue and there are lots of services available to help you reduce the harm of your gambling. Support could look like a friend or family members who understands your habit, and is able to help distract you when you’re urge to gamble is strong. Psychologists can help to identify the causes of your habit and techniques for overcoming gambling desire. And of course, financial counsellors can help you understand the financial impact of gambling and how to clarify ways to reducing harm.
Financial counsellors are free
Financial counsellors are very different to financial advisors. Financial counsellors offer a free service to people in financial trouble. If your gambling is a problem for you and your family, reach out – there is help available, you’re not alone.
Need more?
Darwin 08 8985 0007
Alice Springs 08 8951 8000
Amity Gambling Help line 1800 684 372
