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NEW EVIDENCE: GAMBLING HARM & FAMILY AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Wesley Mission

NEW EVIDENCE: GAMBLING HARM & FAMILY AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

For journalists – background and quotable lines

• A government-commissioned NSW study finds a statistically significant relationship between gaming machine exposure and police-recorded family and domestic violence, with longitudinal analysis suggesting the relationship is likely causal.
• The study reports stronger effects in metropolitan Sydney and parts of northern and north‑western NSW.
• These findings strengthen the case for prevention focused harm minimisation that reduces exposure to high-risk gambling environments.
  
  

Report

• Title: Family and Domestic Violence and Gambling Harm in NSW: Developing the Evidence Base
• Link: https://www.gambleaware.nsw.gov.au/resources-and-education/check-out-our-research/published-research/family-and-domestic-violence-and-gambling-harm-in-nsw-developing-the-evidence-base
• Commissioned by: NSW Responsible Gambling Fund (administered through the Office of Responsible Gambling)
• Delivered by: Australian National University (ANU)

Wesley Mission response to report:

Quotes attributable to Reverend Stu Cameron, CEO & Superintendent, Wesley Mission:

“This government commissioned research confirms something frontline services have been experiencing for years: gambling harm doesn’t stop with the individual. Financial stress and distress, as well as shame, are often carried home — and that’s where family and domestic violence can unfold and escalate.

Gambling harm is a spark the lights the fire of domestic and family violence, too often with awful, and sometimes tragic results.

This is not abstract research; the results are damning when considering the continued inaction of governments to implement sensible and proportionate reform that addresses gambling harm as a public health matter.  It’s further evidence that we are in the midst of a public health catastrophe. This is real harm affecting real families, particularly in parts of metropolitan Sydney and northern NSW, but touching every postcode and demographic in our state. When the evidence shows gambling exposure is a preventable risk factor, it raises serious questions about how we reduce harm before families reach crisis.

A mandatory overnight shutdown of poker machines between midnight and 10am is a practical harm minimisation measure that should be implemented as soon as possible considering this evidence. It won’t solve everything, but it can reduce exposure during high-risk hours and create a circuit breaker that helps prevent harm spilling into homes and relationships.”

Media contact

Joel MacKay | [email protected] | 0455 175 819

Contact details:

Joel MacKay | [email protected] | 0455 175 819