I am worried about gambling harm

Support is available if you:

  • are worried your gambling is causing you or someone else harm
  • have been harmed by the gambling of someone else
  • want to support someone who has been harmed by gambling.

About gambling harm

Gambling harm is not just about losing money and is not only felt by the person who gambles.

A definition of gambling harm is “any negative consequence experienced by an individual or members of their social network because of participation in gambling.”

Negative consequences do include losing money, but also include effects on your relationships with family and friends, your job or studies, your finances, and your mental and physical health.

This definition helps people to think differently about how gambling can affect people. It challenges the view that there are only two types of gamblers: people that gamble without any issues and people that have gambling problems.

Research shows there is a clear middle ground between these two situations. Someone can also be starting to prioritise gambling over other things in their life or feeling strains on their life due to their gambling. While they might not be in a crisis, but this can still have a real impact on their wellbeing.

How to tell if gambling is causing harm

For an estimate of your harm from gambling, try our measurement tool.

You can also use the Problem Gambling Severity Index to check your risk of gambling harm.

You can also read about the signs of gambling harm at Gambling Help Online.

Types of harm

Grouping different types of harm can help you think about the different ways gambling can impact you or others.

Gambling harm include:

  • Financial harm, such as:
    • less money for essentials like bills or rent
    • covering expenses through payday loans, selling items, or accessing more credit.
  • Relationship harm, such as:
    • neglecting relationships and family responsibilities
    • losing the trust of friends and family
    • arguments or violence.
  • Psychological and emotional harm, such as:
    • distress from hiding the impacts of gambling
    • desperation from not being able to recover losses
    • feeling a loss of control over the future.
  • Health harm, such as:
    • increased inactivity
    • physical impacts of stress, including an increased heart rate
    • reduced levels of self-care, including nutrition and hygiene.
  • cultural harms, such as:
    • culturally based shame
    • reduced engagement in cultural practices and rituals.
  • Work or study harm, such as:
    • facing consequences for gambling at place of work or study
    • distraction and reduced performance
    • loss of job or suspension from education.
  • Criminal activity harm, such as:
    • neglecting children
    • petty theft
    • fraud.

Gambling harm can also be immediate or long-lasting, including:

  • general harms, such as feelings of shame, reduced sleep or missing work.
  • crisis harms such as relationship breakdowns, lost friendships, bankruptcy or being arrested.
  • legacy harms, including ongoing credit issues, ongoing guilt and shame or loss of community connection.
  • intergenerational harms including intergenerational financial hardship, isolation from family members or the impacts of time in prison.

General harm is more commonly experienced by gamblers, but it often takes the experience of a crisis harm before someone will seek help for their gambling. The legacy and intergenerational groups show how long lasting the impacts of gambling harm can be.

Gambling stigma and stereotypes

Gambling stigma

Gambling is often seen as a normal part of Australian life. It is closely tied into our sports and traditions and is widely accessible and heavily promoted.

As most people do not suffer harm as a result of gambling, some people, including gamblers themselves, can see people that do suffer gambling harm as weak or selfish and responsible for their own harm. This is known as stigma which is a set of negative and unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something. People impacted by other issues like drug and alcohol use or mental health disorders may also be stigmatised.

Impacts of stigma

Stigma can stop people from seeking help when they really need it.

Stigma can make people feel that their gambling harm is a character flaw or entirely their own fault and something that they have to fix on their own.

It can also make people fear of judgment from people that are close to them or from counsellors or other support providers.

Gamblers can also carry stigma of their own about harmful gambling and may not seek help for their own gambling harm if it doesn’t match their negative stereotype of a “problem gambler”.

The impacts of stigma are that people are more likely to keep their gambling harm a secret and not seek help to address it.

Challenging stigma

Learning more

A better understanding of gambling and gambling harm can help to reduce stigma. You can learn more about different gambling topics here on our website or at Gambling Help Online. You can also learn more about the impacts of stigma through this research report.

Changing language

Australian researchers and state and territory governments have looked at how language plays a role in stigma. You can use this guide from the Victorian Government to find out how you can use different words when talking about gambling to challenge stigma.

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