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This year, South Australia is taking a fresh approach to how we discuss gambling harm during Gambling Harm Action Week (GHAW) from 27 October to 2 November 2024. The theme for this year, Let’s Change the Conversation, focuses on how the words we use can either support people to seek help or stop them from doing so. By changing the way we talk about gambling, we can break down barriers and reduce the stigma many people feel.

Introducing Gambling Harm Support SA

As part of this shift, the Office for Problem Gambling will be renamed Gambling Harm Support SA. This new name reflects a broader focus on the entire community impacted by gambling harm — not just those who gamble. It highlights the public health approach needed to tackle gambling harm, showing that help is available to anyone affected, including families and friends. The new name will be visible in gambling venues across the state and in campaigns like Here for the Game.

New Resources to Help Change the Conversation

Throughout the week, we will release new tools to help people talk about gambling harm in a way that encourages help-seeking. These include:

• Videos featuring people with lived experience of gambling harm, sharing how certain language affected their decision to seek help.
• Language guides that offer practical tips for professionals and the community on how to use non-stigmatising, supportive language.

These resources are designed to create a more understanding and compassionate environment for those impacted by gambling harm.

Why Language Matters

Research shows that calling someone a “problem gambler” can make them feel blamed or judged, making it harder for them to seek help. Gambling Harm Support SA aims to change this by promoting language that focuses on the issue of gambling harm, not the person. This encourages more open conversations that can lead to greater support for those in need.

In 2024, we're changing the conversation around gambling harm.

When talking about the impact of gambling on a person there is evidence that referring to them as a ‘problem gambler’ inhibits help seeking, implies that the person is the problem and implies that change is not possible. Language can make gambling harm seem like an individual issue, ignoring its impacts on intimate partners, family, social networks, and the community. That's why this year, the theme of GHAW is 'Let's change the conversation'. GHAW 2024 brings forth a number of positive changes and exciting activities which we are thrilled to share with you:

It's time for ACTION!

Committing to walking to the walk and not just talking the talk, the first of many activities we are undertaking this year is changing the name of Gambling Harm Awareness Week to Gambling Harm Action Week. This important change signals to the community that we are committed to educating the community on all facets of gambling harm. We are also the first in Australia to adopt the new name (which we think is kind of special!).

Your words matter!

We have developed a series of short videos featuring the people with a lived experience of gambling harm. These videos will be part of a digital campaign that aims to highlights the way certain language affected these individuals and prevented them from seeking help.

Speak up!

The public release of a modernised and practical language guide for media, professionals and the community, aimed at encouraging more effective conversations about gambling harm. The guide provides simple yet powerful alternative language tips to help reduce the stigma that too often prevents people from seeking help.

New kid on the block!

The Office for Problem Gambling will changing it’s name to Gambling Harm Support SA. This marks a significant step in reframing gambling issues as matters of health and wellbeing for the whole community, rather than individual or personal failure. We aim to be a source of information for anyone affected by gambling harm in South Australia.

To learn more about these changes and activities , visit  'Let's change the conversation'.

On Friday 18 October 2024, the Office for Problem Gambling hosted a community of practice for key stakeholders from across the South Australian gambling landscape. The theme of the day was ‘Prevention, Early Intervention and Innovation.’ Participants learned about innovations and emerging practice in gambling harm minimisation. There was a strong focus on supporting community to recognise and intervene in early signs of gambling harm by building stronger social connections and reducing isolation.

This was done through community art projects, shared meals, engaging with online communities, and building an army of volunteers inside the Casino to engaged with peers they were concerned about. Nicola Coalter from Pragmatic Practice encouraged participants to ‘stack the deck’ in favour of gambling harm prevention and minimisation. Dr Coalter led us through a series of group activities that involved wearing six colourful thinking hats to inspire new ways of approaching common challenges in delivering prevention and early intervention initiatives.

Most excitingly the Minister for Human Services, Nat Cook, announced two key changes for the Office for Problem Gambling – the first being a change from Gambling Harm Awareness Week to Gambling Harm Action Week. GHAW falls from 27 October to 2 November 2024 and the change demonstrates our commitment to implementing practical, evidence-based solutions to tackling gambling harm. The second announcement will be formally made by the Minister this Sunday 27 October 2024.

Find out more about what we are doing this Gambling Harm Action Week or view presentations from the day

On Thursday 6 June the Gambling Harm Support SA (GHS SA) and the South Australian Financial Counselling Association (SAFCA) delivered its first gambling harm awareness training day for the financial wellbeing sector.

The need for such training was sparked by research showing that by the time someone reaches the gambling help service system they are typically in crisis, or ‘have hit rock bottom’, experiencing severe financial problems, psychological distress, and in some cases suicidality.

The training day began with a lived experience panel describing their experience of gambling harm and engaging with the financial wellbeing sector. It sought to inspire participants to intervene in gambling harm. Participants were shown how to ask clients about gambling and what to do if they find it.

Attendees were given a diverse range of resources and opportunities for them to practice their skills.

At the end of the event, attendees were instructed to ask three people to tell the group one thing they would take away from the day. This is what they said:

• they didn’t know that for many gamblers money loses its value while they are betting – it’s only later when the true cost of their behaviour becomes clear;
• there is great diversity in the gambling help service system – and they made great connections with people they feel comfortable calling after the event;
• there’s lots of ways to ask about gambling harm – the most important thing is to ask, and we shouldn’t be frightened or uncomfortable. For many gamblers, being asked about harm brings about great feelings of relief.”

To download available resources, visit resources for the allied sector

The Adelaide Thunderbirds are the newest team to join Here For The Game. The Thunderbirds join Adelaide United FC, Adelaide Crows, Adelaide 36ers and the Adelaide Giants, who are all taking a stand against sports betting sponsorships and highlighting the risk sports betting can have on individuals and the community.

The reigning premiers are also helping launch the latest iteration of the Here For The Game, 'Spoil Sport'.

Featuring the newest Here For The Game ambassador, Thunderbirds captain, Hannah Petty. The campaign highlights behaviours where individuals are more concerned with their gambling than the actual game and juxtaposes it against players’ excitement and passion for their teams’ achievements. These behaviours can include being fixating on gambling rather than the game, regularly spending more than intended, or overreacting after losing a bet.

‘Spoil Sport’ also promotes visiting the Here For The Game website if individuals observe worrying behaviours in themselves or a mate around betting. The website offers suggestions on what to say if you are worried about someone’s gambling, shares real life experiences of gambling harm, and has stats and facts about how betting apps are spoiling sport. The website also links visitors to tools and resources to help prevent an escalation in risky betting behaviour.

The new campaign will roll out at Here For The Game partner home games as well as across a variety of formats including broadcast video on demand, social media, and regional radio.

For more information about the campaign visit: Here For The Game.

This year we are proud to launch our new campaign ‘Gambling Harm Ahead’ during Gambling Harm Awareness Week 2023.

Using insights from lived experience, ‘Gambling Harm Ahead’ was developed to highlight the early signs of gambling harm. Inspired by road sign iconography and stylised in bright neon colours usually associated with gambling venues, the key messages of chasing losses, borrowing to bet, gambling alone and financial stress aim to attract the audience’s attention, educate people on identifying the signs of gambling harm early and remind them that help is nearby if needed.

‘Gambling Harm Ahead’ is a digital and radio campaign that will have a strong presence on digital platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube as well as metro and regional radio.

Gambling Help Services are encouraged to promote ‘Gambling Harm Ahead’ during the week via a number of available resources on the newly created ‘GHAW Resources Hub’.

Gambling Harm Awareness Week 2023 runs from 16 October to 22 October 2023.

‘Gambling Harm Ahead’ will continue after Gambling Harm Awareness Week to maintain interest and awareness and will conclude on 4 November 2023.

The campaign will be formally launched by the Minister for Human Services, the Hon. Nat Cook MP during GHAW 2023.

BetStop is the National Self-Exclusion Register created by the Australian Government. The initiative is a safe and free way to block yourself from all licensed Australian online and phone gambling providers.

Signing up is fast and easy and it only takes about 5 minutes.

To get started, all you need is:

• Your mobile phone
• Access to your email inbox
• Either a Medicare Card or a Driver's Licence from an Australian State or Territory.

While you are registered to BetStop, Australian licensed online and phone wagering providers should not:

• open a wagering account for you
• allow you to place bets, or
• send you marketing material.

You can also nominate someone you know to support you while you are self-excluded.

If you want to sign up to BetStop or to learn more about the program, visit www.betstop.gov.au

The Office For Problem Gambling is pleased to announce three successful applicants to the 2023 Strategic Research Agenda funding round.

• 3Arc Social will analyse Reddit data to explore how people talk about gambling journeys in public, online environments. The research has a particular focus on the protective factors involved in relapse and recovery.
• The South Australian Council of Social Services will conduct a systematic scoping review to examine whether building young people’s digital literacy serves as a protective factor against gambling harm as young adults (18-24).
• Flinders University will examine the extent to which AI chatbots can be effective in increasing South Australian gamblers awareness of risky gambling behaviours and help overcome barriers for help seeking.

The authors are due to submit final reports in 2024. The reports should provide timely, practical advice for government, local communities, public and private sectors to help achieve reductions in gambling harm. Plain English copies will be published online wherever possible.

The 2024 Strategic Research Agenda funding round is expected to open in early 2024.

Register your interest now!

Gambling Harm Support SA (GHSSA) has released its first Progress Evaluation Report under the Gambling Harm Minimisation Monitoring and Evaluation Framework.

The Progress Evaluation draws from multiple data sources to establish baseline data against which OPG will measure progress towards its investment goals.

The Progress Evaluation shows that action is needed across each of the strategic investment areas identified by the Gambling Harm Minimisation Investment Plan 2021 to 2026. For example, it finds that:

• South Australians recognise gambling can be harmful but do not always take steps to stay safe. Most South Australians hold stigmatised views about people experiencing gambling harm and have limited motivation to intervene.
• Prevention and early intervention is a new area of investment and therefore limited data was available to inform the Report. GHSSA is progressively implementing new data collection measures informed by the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework.
• Gambling help service clients benefit from the treatment they receive, however service drop out is high. There is low awareness of help services in the community.
• Most stakeholders describe strong working relationships with GHSSA. Stakeholders would like regular updates on gambling harm minimisation activities and impact, and support improving data collection processes

GHSSA is progressively implementing a number of key projects expected to improve South Australia’s gambling harm minimisation efforts that speak directly to the challenges and gaps identified by the Progress Evaluation. These include delivering a mainstream communications campaign to educate the community about gambling harm, expanding its Here For The Game initiative to include amateur sport clubs, engaging people with lived experience in the design of new resources for loved ones experiencing gambling harm, and working with community sector and industry partners to break down barriers to help seeking.

Planning will soon commence for a mid-point (covering 2022-23 and 2023-24) and final evaluation (covering the life of the Investment Plan).

Winning at the annual AFL tipping competition is a lot of fun at work or the pub, but does that translate to a financially viable option in online sports betting sphere?

Not necessarily, and it may even lead winning tipsters towards a pathway to problem gambling, warns Dr Ben Riley, a gambling therapy expert at Flinders University’s College of Medicine and Public Health and South Australia’s Statewide Gambling Therapy Service.

In the first published study of AFL tipster predictions, published in the Journal of Gambling Studies, researchers test the idea that tipping talent – or ability to pick winners for home game fixtures, player fitness, etc – may translate to an ability to gain money from AFL betting.

The question is worth testing, researchers say, with Australian Rules Football (AFL) the most popular sport in Australia, the heavy presence of gambling advertising during broadcasts and AFL commentators often promoting their tips and betting suggestions to thousands of potential punters.

Online gambling and advertising is on the rise in Australia, with total gambling expenditure (losses) almost $25 billion in 2019 and expected to rise with the convenience of mobile electronic devices and online sports betting.

Irrational beliefs, such as the ability to control the outcome of the game, have long been considered an important factor in why some gamblers continue to play despite repeated losses.

“We compared expert AFL tipsters against a random number generator across 6 years of AFL games – around 1200 games and 4500 individual $2 ‘mock’ wagers using the closing betting odds for each game,” says Dr Riley, who worked with psychiatrists on the latest research.

While the experts did predict more correct games than random picks, their equivalent monetary outcomes correlated equal to random picks on sports betting sites.

“However, when looking only at the wins, the random picks had a greater monetary gain on average than the tipping experts. Essentially, knowledge about AFL will not help you win money betting.

“We argue that by using their knowledge, AFL punters may pick more correct games than chance and this keeps them gambling – despite losing money over the long term. Being right is incredibly reinforcing, particularly for adolescents.

“Essentially, making correct AFL selections, and winning money are not the same thing – a distinction that many AFL betting fans may not appreciate.

“Another way of saying this is that just because you are good at the tea room AFL tipping comp doesn’t mean you will win money gambling on AFL. The two things are very different.”

The researchers called for more information about winning and losing and betting odds in future gambling harm public health messaging.

As well as helping to inform psychological interventions targeting gamblers’ illusions of control, the researchers say sports media personalities and commentators should be discouraged from promoting their footy tips or best bets.

In 2022, gambling and wager companies spent $310 million in advertising in Australia. One study found 32% of sports bettors in SA gamble at risky levels compared to 27% of poker machine players and 12% of gamblers generally.

Read the full study:  Betting on Australian Rules Football: Can Expert Tipsters beat Randomness?

After months of development and testing between all states and territories, we are proud to announce that the new Gambling Help Online website is now live.

The services provided complement and increase the range of services available across Australia and provides clients with another avenue to access free and confidential help and support.

The new Gambling Help Online website provides:

• online chat with a qualified gambling counsellor 24hours a day, 7 days a week (users can remain anonymous or register for a more targeted service)
• moderated peer forums
• an SMS support service
• educational material, self-help modules and self-assessments tool for people looking for ways to help themselves or increase their understanding of gambling and the harm it can cause
• in language support for CALD communities with translated pages and integrated Google Translate
• refreshed design that is easily to navigate

In addition to providing brief intervention, Gambling Help Online counsellors can also provide people with education materials, support to access peer forums and referrals to local services. Gambling Help online is for anyone affected by gambling, including friends and family, and professionals seeking advice on how to help their clients.

Gambling Help Online is backed by extensive research and expert advice and support is available to anyone seeking more information about gambling harm.

Visit: https://www.gamblinghelponline.org.au

The Adelaide Crows join Here For The Game

The Adelaide Football Club has joined DHS’s Here For The Game campaign, which challenges the normalisation of gambling in sport.

The Here For The Game campaign forms part of a broader prevention initiative to raise awareness of gambling harm and educate the community about the risks attached to sports betting.

The Crows join a chorus of other elite sporting clubs including Adelaide United, the Adelaide 36ers and the Adelaide Giants, in supporting the principle ‘we’re here for the game, not the gambling’.

Raising awareness through advertising

The latest advertising campaign featuring the Adelaide Crows challenges the convergence of sport and gambling, promoting ways South Australians can help keep themselves safe from gambling harm. Here For The Game also seeks to create opportunities for parents to have conversations with their children about this topic, and provide helpful resources for anyone concerned about this issue.

This AFL season, commuters going to Crows’ home games can look forward to seeing footy heroes Riley Thilthorpe and Anne Hatchard on tram advertising and at train and bus stations promoting the positive aspects of sport, such as the atmosphere and memories it creates, rather than gambling during sporting events. As part of the partnership with the Adelaide Crows there will also be on-ground, television, outdoor, online and social media ads featuring Riley and Anne to help spread the message among footy fans and the wider South Australian community that you don’t have to gamble to enjoy footy.

Role models spread the message

Crows CEO Tim Silvers said the Club was pleased to help remind people of the enjoyment football and all sport provides, without the need for betting to enhance that.

“As an elite sporting club we know that we have a responsibility towards our fans, especially kids, to promote positive behaviours and attitudes,” Silvers said. “Joining the Here For The Game campaign is a great fit with that responsibility and it gives us another platform to be role models for youngsters. We would love for our fans and members to be at our games because they enjoy the atmosphere and the quality of athleticism and being part of the action, not because they feel a need to place bets on every kick.”

No sports betting ads at Adelaide Oval

Gambling Harm Support SA (GHSSA) believes the Crows’ backing will considerably boost the positive Here For The Game messaging and have a far-reaching impact on young people and kids.

According to Rory Spreckley, Manager of GHSSA, one would be able to fill Adelaide Oval twice with the number of South Australian gamblers experiencing gambling harm in SA. “This is why it’s quite significant that there will be no sports betting advertisements shown at Adelaide oval during any of the Crows’ home games – something that hasn’t happened in a very long time,” he says.

He points out that today’s young people don’t know a world without gambling advertising at saturation levels. “It’s something we and many other South Australians are concerned about.”

Have the conversation with your children

After reaching an audience of over 9 million in the first year of the Here For The Game campaign, GHSSA is confident the Crows can build on this early success and deliver its positive and important message to more South Australians.

Research shows adults are concerned about the amount of sports betting advertising children are exposed to and most adults want to talk to their kids about the risks of betting on sports. However, very few parents feel informed enough to have the conversation.

“The website hereforthegame.com.au has tips on how to start the conversation, interesting stats and facts about risky betting,” says Rory.  “If you head on over there, you might even bump into a Crows player or two.”

For more information about Here For The Game visit: Here for the game.

Consumer and Business Services have launched their new campaign ' Take a Break'. The pilot program will see posters rolled out to select pubs and clubs across the state for the next 30 days assisting people to bar themselves from venues.

The posters contain QR codes that patrons can easily scan to access an online form to help them take time out from gambling.  It is hoped that this swift and discreet process will help more people who know they are suffering from gambling harm but aren't ready to talk to take a break from their gambling.

If you're ready to take a break, get started now.