Lynda Genser’s pokies habit led to a criminal charge, but she quit with the support of her family and is now making a difference as a member of the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation’s Lived Experience Advisory Committee.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Mat Crompton’s love for sport turned into an online sports betting compulsion that isolated him from friends and family and consumed his early 20s. His way out was to ask why: why was he gambling and what could life be like if he gave it up.
The Alfred Mental Health and Gambling Harm Program’s clinical assessment team works in the short term with services such as Gambler’s Help, establishing effective treatment options for clients with mental health issues who also experience gambling harm.
Profound shame about their gambling and its impact on their family’s reputation is stopping many gamblers in the Australian-Vietnamese community from seeking help - and leading some to jail.
A health justice partnership between Gambler’s Help Southern and a local community legal service is educating the legal fraternity about gambling harm as a public health issue and pushing for its consideration as a mitigating factor when sentencing.
