| People Against a Casino
Town
|
| News
of Interest |
|
Gambling forces Bay old folk to sell their
homes
29.05.2004 - BOP Times By MATTHEW TORBIT Western Bay elderly are being forced to mortgage properties and spend retirement savings to fund gambling habits sparked by loneliness. The Problem Gambling Foundation says at least four elderly people in the Western Bay have been forced to sell their houses due to gambling - mostly on pokie machines. A psychologist with the Foundation, Margaret Sloan, says other elderly people have been forced to sell personal items such at televisions and jewellery, or spend their lifetime savings on funding their addictions. In extreme cases, some Bay elderly have resorted to theft. The comments come as gambling specialists in other areas, such as North Otago, warn that large numbers of elderly are becoming addicted to gambling in their regions, too. Mrs Sloan said the four elderly she knew of were "only the tip of the iceberg" and she believed there were many other cases in the Bay. Older people were more reluctant than other age groups to admit a gambling problem because they were ashamed. "Gambling is seen as being taboo by many older members of the community and many don't have the mechanisms to seek help," she said. "Gambling was something you didn't do in that generation." The most recent Department of Internal Affairs figures show the Western Bay has 652 gaming machines in 52 venues - an average of one for every 112 adult residents. And a Tauranga City Council report estimates that $25 million was gambled locally on pokie machines last year. Mrs Sloan said many elderly took up gambling as a social activity to combat loneliness, only to develop an addiction. "`Many of these people are left on their own after losing a partner and end up having a relationship with a pokie machine.'" Gambling Watch co-ordinator Dave Macpherson said more funding was needed to tackle the problem. Little was known about the gambling trends of older people because there was almost no Government research. "They looked at it when the casinos in Auckland and Christchurch opened but beyond that it's guesswork really. "It is fairly typical of New Zealand with social problems. We look at the problem after we start hearing about them and we don't take any proactive action." Mr Macpherson says the Government made $941 million from pokie machines last year, of which just $13.1 million went back into dealing with problem gamblers. "It's quite a pathetic amount really. It's all very well having counselling services that target older people but you want to stop them getting there." An estimated 5 per cent of those seeking help for a gambling problem last year were aged 60 or greater. Mr Macpherson agreed that elderly were generally reluctant to admit such problems. "Older people tend to be overlooked in prevention strategies," he said. "They hide their addiction and there are fewer organisations who can help." Age Concern Tauranga president Lorraine Wilson said she could see how older members of the community could become hooked on pokie machines. "The machines provide a warm, welcoming environment and before you know it you have spent your rent." A council report in February found that Tauranga had twice as many gambling machines per head of population as other big cities in the North Island. The study found that "continuous" gambling, such as gaming machines and betting systems that allowed winnings to be re-invested shortly after a win, were linked to problem gambling. www.mytown.co.nz/story/mytstorydisplay.cfm?thecity=bayofplenty&thepage=news&storyID=3569387&type=nzh |
|
Related Links: |
| PACT SEARCH FACTS LAWSUIT LINKS NEWS RESEARCH ACTION |