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Photo of smiling young man with short brown hair and cropped brown beard, wearing a grey T-shirt, leaning, arms folded, against a brick wall with colourful mosaics adhered to it, a path and trees in the background.
Photo of smiling young man with short brown hair and cropped brown beard, wearing a grey T-shirt, leaning, arms folded, against a brick wall with colourful mosaics adhered to it, a path and trees in the background.

Winning big

by Fred Rubinstein
20 February, 2020
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With a ‘semi-professional’ dad, Fred knew about the highs and lows of gambling. But it took stealing from his mum and her threat to call the police for him to open up about his gambling addiction and start chasing healthier wins in life.

20 February, 2020
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Photo of a young woman (standing in back row) with nine girls, all smiling at the camera, dressed in blue, red and yellow football guernseys and shorts on a grassy oval, trees and buildings in the background.
Photo of a young woman (standing in back row) with nine girls, all smiling at the camera, dressed in blue, red and yellow football guernseys and shorts on a grassy oval, trees and buildings in the background.

Footy, friends and fun

by Karen Paxman
20 February, 2020
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When AFL Women’s player Karen Paxman was a girl, playing Aussie rules footy wasn’t an option, but she believes the rise of AFLW is sending a strong message to girls: just go for it, on the field and beyond.

20 February, 2020
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Photo of a middle-aged woman with a brown bob and dark-rimmed glasses, wearing a bright red top and matching lipstick, smiling broadly, a wall of concrete columns directly behind her.
Photo of a middle-aged woman with a brown bob and dark-rimmed glasses, wearing a bright red top and matching lipstick, smiling broadly, a wall of concrete columns directly behind her.

Listening to the storytellers

by Leith Hillard
20 February, 2020
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Professor Anita Heiss will address our Gambling Harm Conference 2020 on the theme of Indigenous storytelling and its complex connection to identity and self-determination.

20 February, 2020
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Photo of middle-aged man with short red hair and beard, arms folded and looking pensively off to his right, trees in the background.
Photo of middle-aged man with short red hair and beard, arms folded and looking pensively off to his right, trees in the background.

A winning strategy, eventually

by Bill Veerman
17 October, 2018
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Having bet on horses since he was 17, Bill says winning streaks always end the same way: losing big. But his final winning streak ended when he was also stricken with grief. Today, helping others, he feels better than ever about himself.

17 October, 2018
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Headshot of Mario wearing a black hoodie in front of a graffiti wall, looking at the camera.
Headshot of Mario wearing a black hoodie in front of a graffiti wall, looking at the camera.

Reaching out to young male gamblers

by Mario Bird
12 July, 2017
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Mario Bird found gambling at 16 and says it was a match made in heaven. Now, after a hard-won recovery, he wants young men, in particular, to know what it can do to your life.

12 July, 2017
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Cover story author Jake in front of plant garden wall
Cover story author Jake in front of plant garden wall

From betting on the races with Dad to professional punter: my journey

by Jake Newstadt
12 August, 2015
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What started out as a childhood hobby led me to the dream job where I could live and breathe betting and racing. But along the way it consumed my life.

12 August, 2015
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Photo of four smiling middle-aged women in a pub environment, three sitting at a table and one standing behind them.
Photo of four smiling middle-aged women in a pub environment, three sitting at a table and one standing behind them.

Re-making meaning: social connection after gambling harm

by Leith Hillard
20 February, 2020
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Gabriele Byrne used her lived experience of gambling harm to help transform the lives of others, with a firm belief that social connections are the key to avoiding relapse.

20 February, 2020
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Photo of a man with short dark hair wearing glasses and sitting facing a woman in the foreground, whose back is to the camera. The man is holding an open folder and writing notes, shelves of books in the background.
Photo of a man with short dark hair wearing glasses and sitting facing a woman in the foreground, whose back is to the camera. The man is holding an open folder and writing notes, shelves of books in the background.

‘Rolling with resistance’: managing difficult client behaviours

by Leith Hillard
20 February, 2020
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A professional development workshop for financial counsellors considered ways to manage challenging client behaviours while also negotiating complex financial arrangements.

20 February, 2020
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Bowerbird with lotto tickets in beak and in and around nest
Bowerbird with lotto tickets in beak and in and around nest

What is Lottoland?

by Lindsay Shaw
26 October, 2016
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The Uber of Australia’s lottery industry is using an online sports bookmaker licence to offer Australians lottery on steroids.

26 October, 2016
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Photo of middle-aged woman with short fair hair wearing glasses and a blue and white T-shirt, standing smiling in front of a body of water, trees in the foreground, boats on the water, and bushland on the coast opposite
Photo of middle-aged woman with short fair hair wearing glasses and a blue and white T-shirt, standing smiling in front of a body of water, trees in the foreground, boats on the water, and bushland on the coast opposite

Clearing the fog of gambling addiction

by Ann Smith
28 February, 2019
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After nearly 30 years of a destructive pokies addiction, Ann has drawn the line, with support from her family and a group of ‘lovely, caring’ people to whom she’s bared her soul, but never met.

28 February, 2019
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Photo of man with short dark hair pensively smiling, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and jeans, his hands in his pockets, standing on a city pavement, his reflection in the window next to him.
Photo of man with short dark hair pensively smiling, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and jeans, his hands in his pockets, standing on a city pavement, his reflection in the window next to him.

Sharing stories on the path to recovery

by Paul Fung
17 October, 2019
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Paul Fung lost his education, career and close family relationships to gambling, but hitting rock bottom finally encouraged him to seek help and turn his life around.

17 October, 2019
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Teenage boy sitting alone at in a large tunnel.
Teenage boy sitting alone at in a large tunnel.

Why boys are susceptible to the siren song of online and offline gambling

by Dr Michael Carr-Gregg with Dr Melissa Weinberg
12 April, 2016
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Leading psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg knows peer pressure and the need for instant gratification make teenagers a prime target for betting companies, and suggests ways to help them resist the temptation.

12 April, 2016
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A man in a room, seen from behind and in deep conversation with a woman who is listening to him with a caring expression
A man in a room, seen from behind and in deep conversation with a woman who is listening to him with a caring expression

After a fall at work and losing my job, the pokies became an escape

by Nabil
21 March, 2017
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Fleeing war in Lebanon 32 years ago, Nabil came to Australia to start a new life. After marriage and five kids, an unfortunate turn of events saw him seek comfort in gambling.

21 March, 2017
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Man in his 30s wearing casual blue winter clothing stands on the footpath of a narrow Melbourne street and smiles at the camera.
Man in his 30s wearing casual blue winter clothing stands on the footpath of a narrow Melbourne street and smiles at the camera.

Prisoners of shame no more

by Lisa Clausen
28 June, 2019
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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.

28 June, 2019
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An older woman standing outside in the sunshine and smiling
An older woman standing outside in the sunshine and smiling

Helping people realise they aren’t the only ones

by Elizabeth Papettas
21 March, 2017
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A strict childhood and difficult marriage left Elizabeth with little self-confidence. Free at last at 50, the pokies seemed a safe place for a woman her age to go. She now volunteers for Gambler’s Help.

21 March, 2017
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Chinese lanterns in the shape of roosters against a night sky
Chinese lanterns in the shape of roosters against a night sky

The allure of gambling for international students

by Alice Pung
21 March, 2017
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Coming to Australia to study can be highly stressful, and gambling may seem a fun, new way to escape. Chinese Gambler’s Help supports students and others in the Chinese community to know the risks and recover from harm.

21 March, 2017
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Brent Guerra holding football in front of black wall
Brent Guerra holding football in front of black wall

I’d trade a premiership medal to undo the hurt and damage

by Brent Guerra
14 October, 2015
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Two-time AFL premiership winner Brent Guerra had a big win on the races in 2011. It made him feel on top of the world, but ended up being the worst thing that has ever happened to him.

14 October, 2015
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Tyrone Mitchell standing against building smiling at camera
Tyrone Mitchell standing against building smiling at camera

If my friends knew how much they’d spent on gambling, they’d be shocked

by Tyrone Mitchell
06 July, 2016
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Tyrone Mitchell grew up with gambling around him, and now it’s all his friends want to do at the pub. He wants his community and his mates to realise what they’re losing and to break the habit.

06 July, 2016
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Photo of an older woman with short brown hair and earrings, wearing a dark grey sweater with gold dots, standing in a room with sunlight coming through a window to her right, smiling at the camera.
Photo of an older woman with short brown hair and earrings, wearing a dark grey sweater with gold dots, standing in a room with sunlight coming through a window to her right, smiling at the camera.

A gran’s plan for recovery

by Carolyn Crawford
11 July, 2018
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Carolyn went to prison before she sought help for her gambling addiction. She now says it was probably the best thing that ever happened to her, and urges others to seek help early.

11 July, 2018
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Young players from the Ivanhoe Junior Football Club with a footy on the playing field
Young players from the Ivanhoe Junior Football Club with a footy on the playing field

Why doing nothing about sports betting marketing is taking a gamble with our kids

by Assoc. Prof. Samantha Thomas, Hannah Pitt and Amy Bestman
26 October, 2016
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When eight-year-olds can name four or five gambling companies without drawing breath, sporting codes, broadcasters and governments must take responsibility.

26 October, 2016
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The foundation acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Custodians of the land and acknowledges and pays respect to their Elders, past and present.

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