The report also showed there were more machines per person in the region, with one Electronic Gaming Machine (EGM) for every 105 people in western Sydney, compared to one EGM per 113 people in the rest of Sydney.
So that cost-of-living pressures are really squeezing people in western Sydney right now, contributing to the gambling problem that we’re seeing.” “But obviously, through that they’re experiencing greater gambling losses. “So because of increasing interest rates, increasing rents, increasing food bills, people who already gamble are turning to gambling more and more, to try and make up some of the losses.” Hunt added that the clinics were seeing increasing numbers of people who are in financial distress, adding that the cost-of-living crisis was exacerbating problem gambling. “Given that money is oftentimes short in financially disadvantaged households, even a relatively small amount of gambling can have a disproportionate impact on the family’s bottom line.” “People in disadvantaged areas are more drawn to gambling because they’re suffering financial pressures, they’re looking to gambling as a way of relieving some of them.” Hunt said that gambling can often be motivated by a “desire to improve one’s situation”, which can drive up problem gambling in low socio-economic areas.
