Addict: Paying debts off for years

A GAMBLING addict told the state casino inquiry the only reason he left a venue was it shut or he was broke.

Witness A, gambling from 14, said it was difficult to say he’d recovered: “My recovery is dependent on not having that first bet.”

He went to Treasury Casino in Brisbane, but not frequently, he said: “There were only two reasons I left a venue: the venue closed and they kicked me out or the money was gone”.

He gambled daily, and on his first day of full-time work at 17 lost all his wages in a lunch break. The impact on his parents was huge including significant mental anguish and physical illness because of the related stress, he said.

He was paying off debts 10 years after his last bet. The feeling of walking into a venue with money to spend was exhilarating, he said.

But he did not believe gambling should be banned: “As a society, when we choose to allow the opportunity for people to choose to gamble, then we have to understand providing those opportunities creates the opportunity for harmful addiction,” he said.

More accountability from those facilitating problem gambling was needed, he said, adding there should be questions on what data gambling giants were using to monitor if harmful gambling was occurring: “There is a need to be mindful about how we showcase or advertise gambling.”

On Star’s responsible gambling policies, he said a policy without a way of ensuring it was being followed were just words on a page: “A lot of them make sense. What I’m less sure is are they accountable and is there a transparency about those commitments within those policies?”