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00:28Satsang with Mooji
00:40When I was in my 20s, my then-girlfriend and I were invited on a double date to go and
00:44see Starlight Express.
00:46Now, I don't know if you've seen Starlight Express, but in it, everyone's on roller skates pretending to be trains.
00:54I wouldn't have minded that so much, but it's a musical.
01:02Now, obviously, we didn't want to go, and being students, we didn't want to blow $140 on tickets either.
01:12We thought $20 was more reasonable, but how do you turn $20 into $140?
01:20Well, we decided to go to the casino and play roulette.
01:23Now, we'd never gambled before, but we figured that if we took $20 and bet on red, that ought to
01:28do it.
01:29If we lost on the first spin, well, we'd go home.
01:31But if we won, we'd put the original $20 in my left pocket and bet the winnings on the next
01:36spin.
01:37If we ever got back down to the original $20, well, we'd call it a night and go home.
01:42Anyway, long story short, the good news is we won $140.
01:46Bad news, of course, we had to go and see Starlight Express.
01:50That was the last time I gambled.
01:54Then, as now, I've never understood why anyone does it, let alone how it's become our national pastime.
02:00If you become a poker player, don't blame me.
02:02I mean, we can't be all going to see Starlight Express.
02:0638% of Australians identify as regular gamblers.
02:10Now, what do they know that the other 62% don't?
02:15Or what don't they know that the other 62% do?
02:21I don't know anything.
02:23That's my money, isn't it?
02:24No.
02:24So I'm travelling around Australia to find out why on earth we are the biggest gamblers on earth.
02:30You have access to every racing track in Australia at the moment.
02:34We spend more per year on punting than alcohol.
02:36It's just saturated, like it's everywhere.
02:39We've gone from the occasional flutter...
02:41Have I missed it yet?
02:41No, not yet.
02:42..to a tsunami of betting.
02:44We lose $25 billion per year.
02:49Blackjack.
02:50Yes, gambling can bring us together.
02:52Bingo!
02:54But it can also tear our lives apart.
02:57Totally crippled my life.
02:58Is gambling something we can control?
03:01We have an industry that's just running riot.
03:03Last spin, last spin.
03:04Come on, come on, come on, come on.
03:05Or are the odds already stacked against the next generation?
03:08I'm at the casino doing $50 spins.
03:11I'll place my first bets in 40 years.
03:13God, that seems like such a lot of money.
03:15And ask...
03:16Is Australia going for broke?
03:18Yay!
03:19Yay!
03:29I begin our story by doing two things I've never done.
03:35One, set foot in an RSL club.
03:40And two, watch sport voluntarily.
03:47I want to experience the fastest-growing form of gambling in Australia.
03:52Sports betting.
03:53Ah, hi, fellas.
03:55Hey!
03:55I'm Sean.
03:56Nice to meet you, I'm Scott.
03:57Scott, nice to meet you.
03:58How's it going, Luke?
03:59Luke.
04:00Brothers Scott and Luke Casson and their friends have grown up together.
04:03When they're not playing sport, they still like to meet up
04:06and bet on other people playing sport.
04:08Is this a regular thing or is it just the finals that you bet on?
04:11Ah, every week.
04:13Every week?
04:13Yeah.
04:14OK.
04:15How much are you risking every week?
04:17We all just put $100 in each.
04:18$100 each.
04:19Would that be about average?
04:21Would that be about what each week?
04:22Oh, a little bit more.
04:23Nah.
04:23It's a little bit more.
04:24When we're in the thick of it, probably $20 each ahead
04:26and we all just take turns betting with that.
04:28Yeah.
04:28Has anyone lost too much?
04:30Has anyone regretted it the next time?
04:31We've all done that.
04:35All right.
04:35Well, just to be sociable, I'll put $100 in.
04:41Then I'm part of the syndicate, all right?
04:43Yay!
04:45Oh, there'll be questions asked in Senate estimates.
04:48Gambling with taxpayers' money?
04:50Still, it's all in the name of research.
04:53We're betting on an NRL game between Brisbane and Penrith.
04:57Most of the group appear to support Brisbane, except one.
05:01And I admire his refusal to buckle under pressure.
05:04What about those side bets or the bets within the game?
05:06Ah, first try scorer bets.
05:08So what's that?
05:09Like the first person to score a try.
05:11Oh, OK.
05:12Yeah, yeah.
05:13So we'll put a few of them on.
05:14OK, I want to see how this works.
05:15Oh, thank you.
05:16Cheers.
05:18Through here.
05:20All right.
05:21$100.
05:22Thank God.
05:23That seems like such a lot of money.
05:25Fixed on sport.
05:26Yeah.
05:26My first bet since 1984.
05:29The year, not the book by George Orwell.
05:32First try scorer.
05:33Right.
05:33And now we pick our player and put the money on.
05:36Now, who do you recommend?
05:36First person.
05:38Yeah.
05:38No, I miss this man.
05:39He's a good player?
05:41Great player.
05:41Great player.
05:42OK, good.
05:42All right.
05:45Let's go.
05:47I was very worried I'd have to spend the afternoon watching an entire football match.
05:52You want to put another horse bet on?
05:54Yeah.
05:55Amazingly, I'm interested in this.
05:56But, yeah, let's go and have a look at the horses.
06:00But, as it turns out, that's not the case, as there are other things to bet on.
06:04Horse racing, for example.
06:05Double has a jump net.
06:07It's a late male one.
06:08Is that right?
06:08Yeah.
06:09Let's go deep ruse, number three.
06:11Number three.
06:12All right, that's us.
06:13So, we've just got 50 on the nose.
06:16So, if we win, we're paying 51 bucks, $2,500.
06:19All right.
06:19That's reasonable.
06:20All right.
06:20I'll look after that.
06:21We throw that in the car.
06:22But it's us here.
06:23Is that racing now?
06:24We're on now.
06:24Oh, OK.
06:24We should watch it then.
06:26Middle screen.
06:27Just as our race starts in Dubbo, the first try is scored in Sydney.
06:32And that one as well, the putter score.
06:34We got one.
06:35Oh, we got that one.
06:35That first try score.
06:36That's a good thing.
06:37By a player, we put money on.
06:39That's lucky, because the horse in Dubbo was a stinker.
06:42But here?
06:42No, no good.
06:44All right.
06:44Do that.
06:45Rip her up and get rid of her, mate.
06:46Over the shoulder.
06:47Yeah.
06:48Oh, over the shoulder.
06:48No good.
06:50With his phone, we walk out.
06:52Straight back.
06:53I still feel bad about it.
06:54Look at that.
06:56But out here we won.
06:57Out here we won.
06:58Yeah, out here we're winners.
07:04And what's that one?
07:05That's the other horse?
07:06That's the try score on NRL.
07:08That's a try.
07:08$1,000 a turn.
07:11$1,000.
07:12I won $1,000.
07:13And I guess I'm part of the syndicate.
07:16We won $1,000.
07:17All right.
07:17And we won on a horse race as well.
07:19Yeah, we've got about $200.
07:21Another $200.
07:22That's $1,200.
07:23And I put that down to...
07:25Is that usual?
07:26This would happen?
07:27You know, this is pretty fun.
07:28No, that's you.
07:29That's all you.
07:30That's all you.
07:30Apparently I'm a lucky chump.
07:34So they've doubled their money.
07:36I'm beginning to see how intoxicating this might be.
07:41The thrill of a win enticing the group into another barrage of betting.
07:46All at their fingertips.
07:48And the gambling industry knows there's a rich seam when they tap into testosterone.
07:54Nine out of ten sports bettors are men.
07:57And collectively they spend more than $50 billion a year.
08:05They've won $1,200.
08:07And now they're kind of just betting using that extra money they've already won.
08:11They're going to keep the pool, keep the money and the kitty alive until the end of the 80-minute
08:17game.
08:17And then see where they are.
08:19But at least there's a beginning and an end.
08:21Not in terms of money, but in terms of time.
08:29The two big football codes, AFL and NRL, account for more than half of all sports betting in Australia.
08:37Research shows men often believe that because they know about sport,
08:41they have some control over the outcome.
08:46Betting in groups also normalises gambling.
08:49It's a bit like drinking.
08:51Doing it with mates is seen as social and fun.
08:55Yet one in ten sports bettors experience gambling harm.
08:59And young men are more at risk than your average punter.
09:08The full-time siren sounds.
09:10And I assume from the reaction around me there's been another betting triumph.
09:15Anyone bet on Brisbane to win or not?
09:18Nah.
09:18No one's bet on the game itself?
09:20No one's bet on the game itself.
09:21Okay, all right.
09:23So that's just the sheer pleasure of your team winning.
09:25Yeah.
09:25Got nothing to do with money.
09:27Okay.
09:28That's enough.
09:34How much did you win?
09:36About $1,200.
09:37$1,200.
09:38Now that, can I, can I be, I'll be the auditor.
09:40I'll just see as everyone gets their share.
09:42Oh, that's, that's my share.
09:43Hey!
09:45Very nice.
09:45Thank you very much.
09:46Very, very, thank you very much indeed.
09:48Wow, look at that.
09:49Thank you very much indeed.
09:51You're part of the family, Sean.
09:52You're part of the family.
09:52I'll see you next time.
09:53Come back any time.
09:54Next final.
09:55It's always fascinating for me to take human form and walk around in the real world.
09:59And I got to do that today.
10:03It's been a long time since I was young.
10:05But these guys all around me are about the age of my sons.
10:08So I understand their enthusiasm for the moment.
10:12But I can also see how young men can be blind to the pitfalls of gambling.
10:18Ten men betting on five different aspects of one football game and six horse races in three states.
10:24With a device they'll probably use to place a bet on the Premier League in the taxi on the way
10:28home.
10:30And I can't help wondering, how did we get here?
10:36The answer lies well beyond the city limits.
10:42This vast nothingness is Mungary in western New South Wales.
11:00For 364 days of the year, the official population of Mungary is zero.
11:07But for today, and today only, you can add several hundred to that tally.
11:12Because it's the annual Mungary picnic races.
11:31And people come from as far away as nearby Warramonga to this non-TAB sponsored event
11:38to hopefully back a winner and take away more money than they wagered.
11:43Otherwise, what would be the point?
11:45Well, that's what we're here to find out.
11:47Excuse me.
11:56Have you bet on this race?
11:57Yes.
11:58I've got $10 in the nose.
12:00We bet a watch.
12:01Which horse is your...
12:02One.
12:03Number one?
12:03Number one.
12:03Red with the checkers.
12:05What's your name?
12:05Starts with a Z.
12:07Starts with a Z.
12:08All right.
12:08Come on, starts with a Z.
12:14Zillian's.
12:15Oh, Zillian's.
12:16Yeah, he's at the front.
12:18Oh, look at him go.
12:19He's at the front.
12:22Oh, no.
12:23Oh, no, Tenderlin.
12:24Oh, no.
12:25Oh, no.
12:29I think Zillian's the one I left.
12:31He's run a bit late.
12:31He got left behind.
12:33Second is all right.
12:34That's fine.
12:34Second's not too bad.
12:35But I went on the nose, not plate.
12:37Oh, no.
12:38You should have gone on the tail.
12:39Oh, no.
12:45Since Captain Arthur Phillip declared seven horses
12:48when the First Fleet went through customs
12:51and the convicts smuggled in their passion for a punt,
12:54racing in colonial Australia spread faster than their smallpox.
13:01Betting on horses was seen as the great equaliser.
13:04And in the spirit of our fledgling egalitarian society,
13:07people in top hats soon took over.
13:11The hoi polloi were kept out of the slick city races,
13:14so they built country tracks of their own, like Munjury.
13:21The first Munjury races kicked off in 1924,
13:25with this gentleman, Gordon Williamson, in charge of running things.
13:31Today, his great-great-great-great-grandeese, Fiona, carries on the family tradition.
13:40Having the same name as your forebears that organised this for the very first time,
13:48do you feel obliged to always be involved?
13:51Yeah, well, it's not even an obligation, it's a joy, like, we love being part of it,
13:55and it's, uh, if anything's ever on a long weekend, we go,
13:58oh, we can't go, sorry, it's Munjury races, and,
14:01because we all have jobs in the family.
14:02My sister's, um, Felicity's the timekeeper, I'm one of the judges.
14:06So what are you judging?
14:08Uh, the first, second, and third.
14:10Oh, okay, so you're, you're like the camera that says, uh...
14:13I'm the backup to the camera, in case the camera fails.
14:18Munjury is a locality, like, it's not a village,
14:20there's no people that actually live here.
14:23We're all from different localities, but it brings everybody together.
14:27The families that have lived in the district for such a long time,
14:30and they bring their friends and host them,
14:31it's just such a, a key part of our identity.
14:39As an amateur alternative to the professional meets,
14:42the picnics sprang up across Australia in the late 1800s.
14:51From Birdsville...
14:52Oh, there are people from all over.
14:54..where a PM's daughter could blow her dough...
14:56Number one, take a second.
14:58You've got enough money left.
14:59Yeah.
15:00..to Bongbong,
15:02where female jockeys gathered for a good mansplaining
15:06before racing around a track that had a hill in the middle of it.
15:10The picnic soon became a fixture of the Australian social calendar.
15:24Today's feature race is the Munjury Cup,
15:26and I'm looking for a tip.
15:31I'm told amateur trainer and horse whisperer,
15:34Michael Plummer, might have some late mail.
15:37He's also Fiona's brother-in-law,
15:39so the family connection might give me the inside running.
15:42Uh, and you went on all these horses, yeah?
15:45No, just, unfortunately, just this horse, so...
15:47Encyclopaedia, his name is, so...
15:49Encyclopaedia?
15:50Yes.
15:51Nickname, Encyclopaedia, is a bit long.
15:53Uh, Booker.
15:54Booker?
15:54Booker.
15:55If I was going to wager any money today on a horse,
15:58would you recommend Booker?
16:00He is a chance today.
16:01All right, good luck, Booker.
16:02He'll need it.
16:03Oh, he nodded.
16:05He tipped me the wink.
16:06Yeah, he's right.
16:07Not as good as a wink.
16:08All right, all right, thank you, Michael.
16:13In the early days of Australian racing...
16:17On-course betting was your only option.
16:19Bev goes 25 to 182.
16:21175.
16:22They're on a cap, on the board.
16:23Online gambling was the stuff of science fiction.
16:26184.
16:27Licensed bookmakers dealt only in cash.
16:30On-a-hand, it's fine.
16:31That's right, we get rid of the money.
16:33And it's the same here in Mungary.
16:35It's cash only.
16:36There's not even an ATM.
16:39So if you lose all the money in your pocket, you can't get any more.
16:43Which, on balance, it's probably not a bad idea.
16:46Oops, sorry, my fault.
16:48Hi, how are you?
16:49Good, mate.
16:49I'd like to make a bet on the cup.
16:51Yes?
16:52Encyclopedia.
16:53You've come to the right place.
16:54The local champion.
16:55Yeah, I hear he's not very good, but it's a long shot.
16:58Are we talking about the trainer or the horse?
17:00Well, you know, he did talk him down.
17:02I did talk to the trainer slash owner.
17:05So $2 on Encyclopedia.
17:06There's your ticket.
17:07That's $11 return.
17:08That's pretty good.
17:09I hope he wins.
17:09I hope he wins for the locals.
17:10Well, thank you.
17:11Well, hopefully I'll see you in a moment.
17:12Good on you, mate.
17:12Best of luck.
17:13Cheers.
17:18Michael, have I missed it yet?
17:19No, not yet.
17:20Not yet.
17:20We're about to go.
17:30How's it going, mate?
17:31It's all right.
17:32He's wide.
17:33Not going out too early, is he?
17:34No, they're not going very quick.
17:35What do we do about his dust?
17:36Just breathe it in?
17:37Yeah, just enjoy it.
17:39He's gone around them.
17:41Here he goes.
17:42So is he coming second now?
17:43He's leading, I think.
17:45Maybe.
17:45Or no, he's...
17:46No, I think he's going backwards, I think.
17:50That's not helpful.
17:53Oh, he's going to...
17:54Is he going to beat a horse home?
17:56No.
17:56No, there was a...
17:58Well, there's $2 shot to hell.
18:00Yeah, I know.
18:01Was it something I said when we were doing the interview?
18:03Just the pressure must have gone to him, I'd say.
18:06You know, $2, I think, is tax deductible.
18:08I think so.
18:09You better get that back.
18:10All right.
18:10Thanks, Mick.
18:16Well, I didn't know what to expect coming here.
18:18I mean, yes, I mean, you've got horses running around in a circle.
18:22There's no other reason for them to be doing it other than to lay money on it.
18:25But I think one of the healthy things about it is that you see the money,
18:28that it's all cash in hand.
18:29And I think that makes you appreciate what it is you're winning or losing.
18:35One thing that was very apparent from speaking to people here today
18:40was that it's a way for a whole bunch of people to actually come together,
18:45and that is how you create new communities.
18:48And that's not nothing.
18:51In fact, you might even argue that's everything.
18:55If racing is woven into Australia's social fabric,
19:07another gambling pastime has gone deeper to become part of our national psyche.
19:12They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old.
19:17Less a game and more a symbol of fairness, mateship,
19:21in our so-called larrikin Aussie spirit.
19:23In the morning, we will remember them.
19:32I'm talking, of course, about two-up.
19:42Let's go!
19:46At Caulfield RSL in Melbourne, just for today,
19:50the poker machines have more or less fallen silent.
19:54That's because everybody's out here.
19:58Chancing their cash on the toss of two coins.
20:09At the risk of sounding like an un-Australian wowzer,
20:12I've never played two-up.
20:14Before today, I'd never even seen a game in real life.
20:17He's betting and he's also the spinner.
20:19Yeah, someone's betting against him.
20:23I'm hoping club president James Steeman can give me the heads-up to coin a phrase.
20:34History has it that two-ups started on the gold fields
20:38and transcended onto the battlefield
20:42because the soldiers were crouched in trenches
20:45and they could throw the pennies up without putting their head above the trench.
20:49Oh, I see.
20:50And there's stories of pennies being hit by bullet fire
20:53and that then being a lucky penny.
20:57It looks pretty simple, but I don't want to get it wrong.
20:59So what are the rules?
21:00How do you play it?
21:01You'll see all people do all sorts of funny gesticulations
21:05with, you know, holding money over their head.
21:08What does that mean?
21:08Well, they're going for two heads.
21:10So it's either heads or tails.
21:13All right.
21:13So if you get a head and a tail, because there's two coins,
21:16what happens?
21:17Uh, square, nothing.
21:19So no money goes to the house.
21:21You're just betting against somebody who will accept your bet.
21:24All right.
21:24So it's always just between two people.
21:26So you make the offer, somebody else accepts the offer.
21:28And it's just between you two.
21:30Absolutely.
21:31Absolutely.
21:33So you win.
21:56You win.
21:59Oh, I won.
22:02Yeah, it's yours.
22:03Oh, OK.
22:12There you go.
22:13There we go.
22:18It was tough to regulate in the trenches,
22:21but back in Australia, two-up was strictly illegal.
22:29But because Australians disliked authority almost as much
22:32as they disliked being deprived of a way to gamble,
22:35illegal two-up games were held in back alleys and laneways,
22:39often resulting in another popular game, chases.
22:48In most of Australia, it's still illegal to play two-up,
22:51except on the few days we honour our servicemen and women,
22:56which frankly amazes me.
22:59This innocuous game with the fairest odds is banned,
23:03yet you can gorge yourself on any other type of gambling
23:06any day of the week.
23:09Maybe it's something to do with the $9 billion a year in taxes
23:13the government collects from all these other forms.
23:18Still, some good has come from gambling profits over the centuries.
23:24In 1957, when the New South Wales government
23:27was struggling to fund construction of this white elephant,
23:31they tapped into the public's passion for punting.
23:34They launched the Opera House Lottery
23:36with a first prize of £100,000 and tickets at £3 each.
23:41And Sydneyites being what they are,
23:43as soon as the Opera House was something you could place a bet on,
23:46its money troubles were over.
23:50Sadly, the first winner was the cashed-up CEO
23:53of another Australian icon, Violet Crumble.
23:56Mmm, that's nice.
23:59Over the next three decades,
24:01the Opera House Lottery sold 86.7 million tickets.
24:06And raised 102 million bucks,
24:09some of which did go to pay for Jorn Ortson's Concrete Camel.
24:13I'll stroll into the showroom
24:16and say I'll have that red Ferrari, please.
24:20By the 1980s,
24:21lotteries across Australia were offering life-changing cash prizes.
24:25When I win the lottery,
24:30and scratchies came along to give us a little instant gratification.
24:37When the lottery became Lotto,
24:41choosing your own numbers somehow made people feel
24:44like they had more control of this high-stakes bingo.
24:48The Lotto and Scratchies are still our most popular forms of gambling.
24:55But they're not where we spend the most.
25:00That honour goes to these.
25:03Half of Australia's gambling losses are due to the pokies.
25:09Despite having less than half a percent of the world's population,
25:13Australia has one-fifth of the world's poker machines.
25:18New South Wales is Australia's poker machine capital.
25:22Only Nevada, home to Las Vegas, has more.
25:25New South Wales has about 90,000 poker machines.
25:29That works out to be one for every 88 people.
25:36Now, all I know about poker machines
25:38is that you sit and press a button.
25:41But surely there's more to it than that.
25:44To learn more, I'm meeting, if not a world authority on poker machines,
25:49then at least one with 50 years' experience.
25:52We'll call her Maureen.
25:55And why not? It's a name.
25:59Maureen?
26:01How very nice to meet you.
26:03I'm Sean.
26:04Lovely to see you.
26:05Yeah, nice to meet you.
26:07I don't know if you know my story,
26:09but I've never played on a poker machine ever in my life.
26:13And you're going to help me, you're going to show me how to do it?
26:16I'll try.
26:17OK.
26:19If you become a poker player, don't blame me.
26:22No, well, I'm worried about becoming addicted.
26:24Whether if I just do it once, you know,
26:26I just want to do it all the time.
26:31We might go on that one today.
26:33This one here?
26:33Yeah.
26:34All right, well, after you, you're the poker machine whisperer.
26:37When it says select a denomination,
26:39does that mean your religious faith?
26:42No.
26:43Oh, I see.
26:43Oh, the money.
26:44I got you.
26:44All right, so this is $20 worth of fun.
26:47How long will that last?
26:49Depends what you play.
26:50We'll see.
26:50All right.
26:51I'm betting a dollar.
26:52A dollar of the 20?
26:54And 50 lions.
26:56And what?
26:5650 what?
26:5650 lions.
26:58What does that mean?
26:59Well, you play the whole machine.
27:01Oh, I see.
27:02All right.
27:02OK.
27:04Modern poker machines have pay lines.
27:06They can be horizontal, vertical and diagonal,
27:09like connect four,
27:10or even a zigzag pattern.
27:13The more lines you play,
27:14the more it costs.
27:19That sounds celebratory.
27:20Did you win anything?
27:22Yeah, I won 10 cents.
27:2310 cents.
27:25Hang on a moment.
27:26Didn't Maureen bet a dollar?
27:30Surely that's a loss of 90 cents.
27:33Have a go.
27:34You think I should have a go?
27:35Yes.
27:36I hope I don't get addicted.
27:42Oh, so you won?
27:44You got three too.
27:45Is that good?
27:46Yeah.
27:46And so what did you win?
27:48Oh, 10 cents.
27:4910 cents.
27:51Again, it looks and sounds as though we've won.
27:54But as far as I can tell,
27:56we gave it a dollar
27:57and it gave back 10 cents.
28:00Still, who am I to spoil Maureen's fun?
28:03For her, the gambling comes second to the socialising.
28:07I come down here to talk to people
28:10and that's my enjoyment.
28:13Okay.
28:13So it's not about winning or losing,
28:16it's about meeting your friends here?
28:19Yeah.
28:19And it's about conversation?
28:21Yeah.
28:22Do you normally come in at 10.30, 11 o'clock?
28:25Around about 10.30, 11 o'clock, yeah.
28:28Okay.
28:28And we'll sometimes we'll have something to eat here
28:31and go home and watch Bold and the Beautiful.
28:34Bold and the Beautiful?
28:35Is the man with the eye patch, is he still in the show?
28:39It's been a while.
28:40It's been a while since I've seen it.
28:42He was married to one woman.
28:44Yeah.
28:44He left her and married another one.
28:47While Maureen fills me in
28:48on what's been happening in her favourite soap opera,
28:52here's a history of poker machines in Australia.
28:56New South Wales was the first state
28:57to legalise one-armed bandits in 1956.
29:01The rest of Australia was in no hurry to join in.
29:04The poker machine, common enough in New South Wales,
29:08but taboo here in South Australia.
29:10Other state governments see them
29:11in much the same light as ticks and fruit fly.
29:15That less-than-flattering, insect-shaming view
29:18resulted in poker machine tourism.
29:21Busloads of pokey-curious people crossing borders
29:24into New South Wales to get a bit of the action.
29:26How much money have you got to spend today?
29:29Put up your money.
29:30Let's have a look at it.
29:31Oh, that's terrific.
29:34By the turn of the millennium,
29:35the rest of Australia had finally succumbed
29:37to the poker machine's siren song.
29:40Except Western Australia,
29:42where pokies are still banned
29:43anywhere outside Perth Casino.
29:46And oddly enough,
29:47the West does have the lowest gambling losses
29:50per capita in Australia.
29:51As for the rest of the country,
29:55data shows that roughly a third of Australians
29:57play the pokies at least once a year.
30:01That's about 6.6 million people.
30:04And it's estimated those people
30:07lose a combined total of $16 billion.
30:10Meaning that playing the pokies,
30:12or having a slap,
30:14as the younger, non-ABC-watching gamblers refer to it,
30:17is responsible for the country's largest gambling losses.
30:21Would you at any point think that you'll change machines?
30:25Would you change machines if you were on a losing streak?
30:28No, I think if I feed a little bit...
30:31Yes.
30:32..it'll eventually pay me.
30:34Even putting $20, $40, $50 in,
30:39you're playing,
30:40you're giving it something to eat.
30:43Yes.
30:44Yes, this is demanding.
30:45It's a cruel mistress, isn't it, this machine?
30:49Maureen's theory
30:50that a reward will surely come
30:52once a financial offering has been made
30:53is what's known as a gambler's fallacy.
31:00A sort of magical thinking
31:02that can lead to some very dark outcomes.
31:06A New South Wales study revealed
31:08that of the total number of people
31:10seeking help for gambling addiction,
31:13a whopping 73% were poker machine users.
31:21Having now played one,
31:22I'm still at a loss to understand
31:24how they weave such a spell.
31:27Maybe this man can explain.
31:31Researcher Dr Charles Livingstone
31:33is a gambling expert
31:34with Melbourne's Monash University.
31:36Like another doctor
31:38who used to reside on the ABC,
31:40he's promised to take me on a trip through time.
31:42Well,
31:44when we walk in here,
31:45you're going to see something quite unusual.
31:49Prepare to have my mind blown.
31:53It's so much bigger on the inside.
31:57By the way,
31:58this is not Charles' place.
32:00Not sure who owns it, actually.
32:09Here we can see...
32:10Oh.
32:12..a history of the poker machine.
32:14From that way to this way.
32:16This is the evolution of the...
32:18Yes.
32:19..beast.
32:20It's very much a poker machine version
32:22of the ascent of man.
32:24From a harmless, rudimentary bit of fun
32:26to apex predator.
32:29This is a very original one
32:31from the 1950s.
32:331950s.
32:33Oh, this is great.
32:34Yes.
32:35This has the patina of nostalgia about it.
32:38That's right.
32:42Nothing.
32:42Nothing.
32:43This one's got four reels,
32:44so it's a bit more advanced.
32:45They sort of came into vogue
32:47probably in the 60s.
32:49The money magician.
32:5070s?
32:5170s, psychedelic?
32:52Early 70s.
32:53So they've still got the mechanical reels,
32:55but they're being turned
32:55by an electric motor.
32:56And because they're sort of
32:58starting to become more electronic,
32:59you can get a bit of reinforcement sound.
33:03This is the 1980s?
33:04This would have been 80s, yeah.
33:07And a bingo, see?
33:08So they're spun electronically.
33:10They've got little motors.
33:11It's making noises.
33:12It's got little flashing lights and things.
33:16That makes me happy, that noise.
33:18And push that.
33:19Push that.
33:19Push the click?
33:20Yeah.
33:22Isn't that a wonderful sound?
33:23That's a good noise.
33:25Technically, that's mine.
33:26That's my money, isn't it?
33:26No.
33:28And this machine also had
33:29the possibility of multiplying
33:31how many bits you could make at once
33:33because you could spend five times
33:35as much per spin as these ones could.
33:38Your chances of winning weren't increased
33:39in any way, shape or form.
33:41But your chances of losing
33:42were multiplied by five.
33:43I think I can see now
33:45that the mutation of that
33:47into this is to the advantage of the species.
33:49It sure is.
33:51When poker machines
33:52went fully electronic in the 1990s...
33:54And here we are.
33:56Here's the perhaps more fully evolved version.
34:00They offered users even more
34:02and much faster ways to lose their money.
34:04So you've got multiple lines you can bet on here.
34:06You've got nine lines on this particular machine,
34:08but they can go up to 50 and more
34:09that you can bet on.
34:10So you can multiply not only how much you bet,
34:13per line,
34:15but you can multiply how many lines you're betting on.
34:21The difference between your old-fashioned
34:23one-armed bandit
34:24and the latest video game-style poker machine
34:26is laid bare
34:27when we dissect the subject
34:29and examine its innards.
34:31So, Sean, what we have here
34:32is a naked version
34:34of that very early machine you saw previously.
34:36This is beautiful.
34:37I like this piece of machinery.
34:39The former, an ingenious
34:40but limited mechanical device.
34:44So with this one,
34:46we know that there's only about 13,000 or so possible outcomes.
34:49The latter, a computer program
34:51that makes the chances of winning big
34:53vanishingly small.
34:55This machine has about 35 million possible outcomes.
34:58And that's made possible because it's fully electronic.
35:01It can have whatever symbol it wants anywhere.
35:0535 million to one.
35:06Well, who could resist those odds?
35:09Although under current gambling laws,
35:11the odds a poker machine user can face
35:13are capped at around 9 million to one,
35:16which is a great relief.
35:18So, the odds of winning the maximum prize on a poker
35:21are roughly the same
35:22as the odds of winning the lottery,
35:25generally speaking.
35:26But when you win the lottery,
35:28you win a life-changing amount of money.
35:30Yes.
35:30When you win big on the pokies,
35:33you get, I don't know,
35:34you might be able to buy a new second-hand car.
35:38Essentially, there's been a shift
35:39in the power dynamic over the years.
35:41Instead of you playing the poker machine,
35:43it plays you.
35:48Today's sophisticated machines
35:50keep the gamblers on the hook
35:51using three psychological tricks.
35:53Firstly, it's programmed to give
35:55a sprinkling of small wins.
35:56Not much, just enough to keep you interested.
36:00Secondly, there's the near miss.
36:02Four identical symbols will line up,
36:05but not the crucial fifth,
36:07fooling users into thinking they were so close
36:09they're bound to hit the jackpot soon.
36:13Thirdly, there's the loss disguised as a win.
36:16Did you win anything?
36:17Yeah, I won 10 cents.
36:1910 cents!
36:20Like my bet earlier,
36:22where I spent a dollar on a spin
36:23and got a 10-cent prize.
36:27The machine still signals a win
36:28with all these celebratory bells and whistles.
36:32What that conditioning does, we now know,
36:34is to exercise a impulses
36:38in your brain's reward system,
36:40primarily the neurochemical dopamine
36:43that makes you feel reasonably good.
36:45I mean, one of the consequences
36:46of that sort of dopamine flow
36:48is the loss of what they call executive function,
36:52that is, your capacity to make rational decisions.
36:55And it drives them into making repeated wages.
36:58It's a waterfall of dopamine.
37:01It's a waterfall of dopamine's torrent.
37:03And this is what people don't understand.
37:04It's not a failure of will.
37:06It's an addictive product
37:09which acts directly upon your brain's reward system.
37:15The pull is so powerful,
37:16most people don't realise they're hooked
37:18until it's far too late.
37:21Do you want a cuppa?
37:23Yes, that'd be lovely.
37:24Can I have peppermint?
37:25OK.
37:25Very nice. Thank you very much.
37:29Anne-Marie was a poker machine addict for 17 years.
37:34I've never really understood
37:35how people get addicted to anything.
37:37Unsurprisingly, very few want to speak about it.
37:41And I appreciate you talking to me today,
37:44which is very nice of you.
37:45Well, it's great to be able to share, you know?
37:51Yeah.
37:53Anne-Marie has offered to share with us
37:56the darkest period of her life.
38:00I would drive to the pub
38:01and I'd be thinking,
38:03hope nobody's on my machine.
38:07Walking in there,
38:08sort of anxious or a bit excited,
38:10and it was adrenaline.
38:13And I'd think,
38:14I'm going to put 50 in.
38:17Then I would put a couple of hundred in
38:20and then all the bells and whistles go off.
38:24You think you're winning.
38:25And I think,
38:26now I'm going to be able to pay half my rent.
38:29I'll just get it up to 500
38:31so I can pay all my rent.
38:34Keep playing away, keep playing away.
38:36And then I've got nothing.
38:40I'll go and get a bit more.
38:42Get to the point
38:43when I've been to that ATM seven times.
38:51And then the next thing I know,
38:53it's hours later.
38:58The sickness that I actually felt.
39:00Oh, my God.
39:02I'm going home at 4.30 in the morning.
39:08I've, you know,
39:09paid a quarter of a million dollars
39:12to be here talking to you today.
39:15But I know now
39:16that I'm one of the lucky ones.
39:20Was a poker machine
39:22part of something
39:22that your family did, though?
39:24No.
39:25You know,
39:25I grew up in a lovely part of town in Melbourne.
39:28Great family.
39:30I was your regular daughter,
39:33sister, niece.
39:35Paid my bills.
39:37No diagnosis of any many health issues.
39:42At 30,
39:43Anne-Marie seemed to have it all.
39:45She was fun-loving,
39:47had a large social circle,
39:48and was happily married.
39:52And after one year of marriage,
39:55I came home and there was a letter saying,
39:57I've taken the fridge,
39:59the couch,
40:00I'll be back for the bed.
40:02And I was totally blindsided.
40:07I ended up in front of a machine
40:09because I didn't want to come home.
40:11To an empty house.
40:12To an empty house.
40:14So what was it about the machine
40:15that helped you?
40:17When I was in front of a poker machine,
40:20I was not thinking about anything else.
40:23It's about being comfortably numb
40:26with the machine.
40:27It sort of saved me, you know?
40:31But it felt like being pulled into quicksand.
40:35I almost feel like it was brainwashing.
40:38And you have a child?
40:40Yes.
40:41Yeah, I do.
40:42I have a son.
40:43Yeah?
40:44But when you're playing the game,
40:46does he enter into your mind at all?
40:49I'm aware of it.
40:50And I'm like,
40:51I have to leave in 20 minutes to pick up my boy.
40:56And I'm still playing.
40:59I have to leave in 10 minutes.
41:01I have to leave in 5 minutes.
41:03And then it's...
41:05Pop the machine on hold.
41:07Go outside.
41:08Make a call.
41:11Would you mind picking my son up?
41:13I'm stuck at the dentist.
41:16I could not pull myself away to go get him.
41:21Hmm.
41:22Whether it's alcohol, drugs, gambling.
41:24I mean, they say gambling isn't like putting anything physical into your body,
41:28but it's a physical thing.
41:30Hmm.
41:31You know?
41:31Were you chasing your losses?
41:34You were hopeful that you would have a big payday?
41:36Yeah.
41:36That would solve...
41:37That would take you back to square one again?
41:40For years, Anne-Marie kept her addiction hidden.
41:44You know, if I was drinking,
41:46you'd be able to tell by my actions.
41:48If I was using drugs,
41:51you'd be able to tell.
41:52But gambling is something that nobody knew for a very long time.
41:58And unlike alcohol and tobacco,
42:01gambling isn't seen as a health issue in Australia.
42:05I was trying to stop.
42:07I went to a psychologist.
42:09I self-excluded myself.
42:10So that involves you saying to the pub,
42:14put my picture up there,
42:15I don't want to...
42:16Yep.
42:16Don't let me in, or...?
42:17Yep.
42:17Correct.
42:18Exactly what it is.
42:19And did they follow through on that?
42:20Is that something that...?
42:21I just went to another pub.
42:22Okay.
42:26After another long day on the machines,
42:30Anne-Marie reached a new low.
42:35It was no different than any other day.
42:37And I walk out,
42:39and I'm shaking,
42:41and I'm...
42:43You know, what have I done?
42:45How have I done this again?
42:46I think I can't have my son thinking I'm a role model.
42:51I'm not a woman that should be a role model to anybody.
42:54How old was your son when you felt that you hit rock bottom?
42:58Yeah, he was six.
43:00He was six?
43:01Yep.
43:03I'm really angry at myself.
43:06I'm literally thinking about...
43:08I might drive myself into a tree.
43:13You thought you'd done.
43:19It's estimated gambling is linked to almost 8% of suicides in Australia.
43:25But almost everyone with a gambling disorder
43:27descends into that dark place at some point.
43:33Anne-Marie checked into a group therapy program,
43:35hoping to turn her life around.
43:38And once you started that program,
43:40how long was it before you started to see changes in your behaviour?
43:44Immediately, I was just a different person.
43:50I learnt it wasn't just because I had no willpower.
43:53These things, you know, designed to keep me there.
43:59Do you look at the world now and see possibilities for that to have been headed off earlier?
44:05It's really important to me that people like myself don't feel so ashamed to speak up because there still is
44:15that stigma.
44:16And, you know, the only reason I'm here talking to you today is because I have had the experience of
44:24losing people
44:25and them taking their own lives.
44:30And maybe GPs or the health system, if you've got issues with gambling, talk up.
44:36Press this button, ask here for help.
44:40Oh, well, here's hoping.
44:42How to normalise it.
44:44Yeah.
44:45Yeah.
44:45Getting help.
44:46Thank you, Anne-Marie.
44:48Yeah.
44:48Very nice.
44:49Very nice to talk to you.
44:51Yeah.
44:52You seem to me, and what do I know, but you seem to me to be in a great place,
44:57you know.
44:57Yes, I'm really, really happy for you.
44:59Oh, so am I.
45:01I'm so grateful.
45:02And your boy, you know.
45:05Next time.
45:06See, that's not a good start.
45:07I've got your money already.
45:09I attempt to lift the lid on the darker arts of the gambling industry.
45:13It's just saturated, like it's everywhere.
45:15What other tricks of the trade do they use to encourage people to punt?
45:19It's always in favour of the house, isn't it?
45:21Yeah, it is.
45:29You win some, you lose more.
45:32For free and confidential support, call the number on the screen or visit the website.
45:37That's not right.
45:37Bye-bye.
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