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  • 3 months ago
The Melbourne Cup has been run and won for another year, and while those betting are still spending big on the day, there are less people taking part. Researchers say people are spending more intensely on days like the Melbourne Cup, raising concerns for both new and experienced gamblers and the risks they're taking. Dr Aino Suomi is the Director of the Centre for Gambling Research at the Australian National University.

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00:00So we know, I mean, this goes with other gambling activities as well.
00:05We know for the last decade, fewer people are gambling,
00:08but just like you alluded to, we've seen this intensification of gambling,
00:14so they're spending more money.
00:16We've got race betting as well as sports betting that are largely now online,
00:21which makes spending a lot more easy and kind of the cashless economy
00:29has seen, and races betting is still, it's not the most popular,
00:32but you see the most expensive expenditure in that,
00:37especially on a day like a Melbourne Cup.
00:40And Melbourne Cup, I mean, it's known for an event that includes people
00:44who don't know much or if anything about horses or horse racing.
00:47What sort of opportunity does that then present for betting companies?
00:52Yeah, I mean, the Melbourne Cup is really the biggest gambling advertisement
00:57that we have, we have the whole nation stop for the whole day,
01:01offices closing, people getting pretty and social as well.
01:06And you might have people who've never gambled ever signing up
01:10for an online betting account.
01:12And then what happens after that?
01:14The betting account owner has got all your details.
01:20So then after that, you're becoming more vulnerable,
01:23being targeted by very tailored and personalised gambling advertising
01:28that we know is the biggest risk factor for people
01:31then experiencing gambling harm in the future.
01:34How does betting on racing compare to other forms of betting
01:38in this country at this time?
01:40I mean, yeah, it's, you know, we see this kind of glamour environment,
01:47which is, you know, very enticing for young people.
01:50Like I said, it's moving online mainly now.
01:53The race betting, it's been decreasing for the last kind of 10, 15 years,
01:58although it's now plateaued.
02:00And because of the online access, it's becoming way more easy as well.
02:06But you see really big, big losses in one day,
02:10even for those who only gamble once or twice a year,
02:13in tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands sometimes.
02:15And the taglines that we now see and hear on gambling ads,
02:19such as, you know, you win some, you lose more,
02:22are they having an effect here?
02:25I mean, yes.
02:26The gambling industry has a very effective counter-narrative to that,
02:32which makes it very attractive to young people.
02:37So when you hear you've got these little texts at the end
02:40of gambling advertisements,
02:42are you spending more than you can really afford,
02:46then counter-acted by this gambling industry narrative
02:49about it being glamorous and, you know, it's fun.
02:52So this becomes quite dangerous for young people.
02:55It's like these two places, two different worlds,
02:59is that you've got, you know, harmless fun versus then
03:02you might have woken up this morning after Melbourne Cup
03:04with a sore head, empty pockets as well.
03:08And then the disconnect between these two,
03:11whereas glamorous versus feeling horrible,
03:14it's really causing not just financial harms,
03:17but also psychological and social harms as well.
03:22So once someone is signed up,
03:23and, you know, that may have happened yesterday,
03:25they may have already had the app.
03:27Gambling is so accessible, it can be done covertly.
03:29How does an individual recognise that they have a problem
03:32and what steps do they then take?
03:36So there's obviously the financial problem.
03:39So if you feel like you might have bet more
03:41than you could afford,
03:43but it's really the regrets and, like, feelings of guilt.
03:47If you're feeling any of this,
03:49but also we've got pretty clear kind of low-risk gambling
03:52guidelines existing now.
03:57So if you bet more than $100 a day,
04:00you might think if you do that many times,
04:03you might want to seek some support
04:05or just have a break.
04:07So there's lots of support available
04:09for those who experience harm from their own gambling,
04:13but also those who experience harm
04:15from someone else's gambling.
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