SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The NSW Government has announced investment in a campaign helping people from diverse communities who are facing problems with gambling; ‘The Number that Changed our Life’.
Aimed at those who are uncertain of how to get help, the four-month programme specifically supports people experiencing gambling harms from across Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Arabic and Hindu communities.
Minister for Multiculturalism, Mark Coure, highlighted that this campaign will see the NSW Government ensuring that ‘no one is left behind in our rich multicultural society’. He added: “It can be difficult for anyone to come forward and ask for help.
“For some, there may be cultural sensitivities to gambling, which makes it harder for them to talk to their families or friends, or which may make recognising when someone is in trouble harder to identify.”
The campaign has now been rolled out across TV, Radio, print and social media for those people in these communities to seek help.
“Even though culturally and linguistically diverse communities gamble less than the general population in New South Wales, they are more vulnerable to gambling harm and experience more gambling problems than the general community,” added Minister for Hospitality and Racing, Kevin Anderson.
Although there are multilingual resources and counsellors on hand via GambleAware, the initiative looks to help people take the very first step in seeking help, which has often been deceived as the hardest.
Natalie Wright, from the NSW Office of Responsible Gambling, concluded: “This is why The Number that Changed our Life campaign not only targets the gambler, but also their family and friends, as having the tools to reach out to loved ones, could be the difference between having the problem and addressing it.
“The number that changes your life won’t be one of those lucky numbers that never comes through, it’s the number for GambleAware’s counselling service – 1800 858 858. That might be the biggest win you have.”
