What you should know

It’s often really difficult to understand gambling problems, unless you have experienced something similar yourself.

Understanding the issue

Gambling activities, such as playing the pokie machines, are designed to make players feel they have almost won or that they can influence the outcome of the game. This can encourage people to play more often or spend more time and money than they can afford, which can ultimately lead to a gambling problem.

It's important to understand that people affected by harmful gambling can have highs similar to those experienced by drug users, and strong urges to gamble because of their physical longing for the 'high'. Often the person gambling has no idea why this is happening.

You lose icon

It’s important to remember that all forms of gambling are designed so that the owners can make a profit, not the players. So while the person you are concerned about might experience and talk about the odd win, ultimately, if they play enough, they will lose.