Gambling is as old as the hills. With the advent of the printing press, musical recording facilities, movies, and now the internet, it seems that our means of entertainment have changed, and pastimes are worlds apart from the ancient world.
But reading the text of the crucifixion narrative lets us glimpse one activity that has remained constant the world over: gambling. The soldiers responsible for taking Christ to the site of his crucifixion had a perk of the job: keeping the clothes or other valuables of the person condemned to death. But rather than split up his tunic into pieces, they turned to the practice of casting lots, or throwing dice, to see who the ‘winner’ would be.
Were each of them aware that giving up the surety of getting one-quarter of the day’s spoils would mean that three of them would go home with nothing? Did they ‘know the odds’? What happened to the families of the soldiers who came home empty handed, instead of their usual loot? Did their extended family or community have to help out when they couldn’t put food on the table?
Research led by Australian Catholic University adjunct senior fellow and Australian National University Centre for Gambling Research director Dr Aino Suomi found the heavier the gambling, the greater the likelihood of children and young people experiencing harm.
Psychological impacts of parental problem gambling on children include suicidality, anxiety and depression. But it also harms parents themselves – leading to depression, anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and intimate partner violence. And some parents respond to stress-related to gambling losses with short tempers and aggression.
COMPLEXITY
The loss of a week’s wages – or of family savings – can be devastating for children in multiple ways. Children are at risk of harm, such as financial distress, psychological wellbeing, behavioural issues and physical health problems. Verbal abuse, physical abuse and child welfare calls become a part of life, resulting in strained family relationships and sometimes conflict and violence.
Adults whose childhoods were riddled with parental gambling reflect on how sudden gambling losses added to the constant stress and financial strain, and led to feelings of depression. As adults, they were more likely to experience mental health issues.
In some families, children are left alone at home with no adult supervision, or their supervision is relegated to unsafe adults or peers. Or children take on the role of the parent themselves, for example by taking responsibility of household chores, younger siblings, and finances. The burden can make it difficult for children to complete their formal education.
GAMBLING AND INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE
Evidence shows that intimate partner violence and child abuse are significant components of problem gambling. For some, a bout of gambling can be followed by a bout of violence. In some cases, victims of violence at the hands their partner turn to gambling as a distraction that then becomes problematic.
Sadly, not many people admit to violence or problem gambling due to the stigma, shame and secrecy attached to both behaviours. These issues shouldn’t be in the shadows. When clients do disclose gambling problems and intimate partner violence to professional services, this can be particularly complex to address.
Although there are services to support families grappling with gambling addiction, problem gamblers don’t always disclose intimate partner violence. It needs to be on the radar. Further training could help service providers focusing on gambling addiction broaden their support to help clients disclose any concerns with intimate partner violence.
EVERYONE’S BUSINESS
We need to recognise problem gambling as a child protection concern with long-term consequences for children and young people growing up in problem gambling households.
Change needs to start at the top. Steps that can be taken to avoid further harm include minimising influence from the gambling industry on government policy on gambling. Another step would be adopting public health approaches to child wellbeing that helps prevent problem gambling. Interagency collaboration and better service coordination can offer families the support they need.
Some positive news emerging from the research is that children who have been exposed to severe parental problem gambling are not likely to adopt problematic gambling behaviours in later life. But that would be a strange way to roll the dice. There are no real winners in the gambling world. A sure win would be to not expose children to such harm.
The winners are those who can find peace and love and constancy in their families and in their communities.
Associate Professor Aino Suomi is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at Australian Catholic University, and Director of the Centre for Gambling Research in POLIS: the Centre for Social Research at Australian National University.
Prof Daryl Higgins is Director of Institute of Child Protection Studies at Australian Catholic University.
Maria Battaglia is from the Institute of Child Protection Studies.
Key statistics
· 10% of all Australian parents have engaged in some level of risky gambling.
· 6% of Australian parents with dependent children are classified as problem gamblers.
· 4% of Australian families including almost 200,000 children are exposed to serious gambling harm.
Source: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107305
Most Australians want gambling ads banned
More than two-thirds of Australians believe there is too much gambling advertising in sport and want it to be banned, according to new polling released by the Alliance for Gambling Reform. The polling, which involved more than 1000 people aged over 18 years, showed more than three quarters believed there was too much gambling advertising in sport, while more than two-thirds thought gambling advertising should be banned from sport completely.
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