ClubsNSW has put forward a proposal that aims to help individuals suffering from gambling harm. Central to the new measure is family intervention, as well as setting up an independent panel that would assess whether an individual should be banned from clubs. But an anti-gambling advocate thinks it’s just one of those measures that ended up as a “complete joke”.
ClubsNSW Continues to Advocate for Family Intervention
ClubsNSW is the peak industry body for registered clubs in New South Wales. It believes that family intervention is vital in reducing gambling harm and has been advocating for it for a decade now. In its new proposal, families of those affected by gambling would be allowed to ask clubs to ban them. All clubs would designate a properly-trained responsible gambling officer tasked with identifying signs of problem gambling.
At-risk individuals can either receive counseling services or be blocked from clubs, depending on the seriousness of the indicators.
A Complete Joke
Reverend Tim Costello of the Alliance for Gambling Reform isn’t buying into this idea which he described as “window dressing”. Rev. Costello thinks ClubsNSW may only be trying to create a favorable impression for both sides of politics and not really keen on solving the problem, which makes the proposal a “complete joke”.
Costello said measures involving self-exclusions don’t work as they contradict the industry’s business model.