Pasifika turn to gambling
CONCERN is growing that prolonged COVID-19 lockdowns are causing an increase in online gambling within Pacific communities according to a problem gambling support service.
Problem gambling support service Mapu Maia is reporting more people are gambling online over lockdown, and the impacts will be detrimental if government policy isn’t changed to better help the most vulnerable.
Mapu Maia provides a holistic service to individuals, families and communities that is culturally appropriate and effective.
Since New Zealand’s latest lockdown began in August, Mapu Maia has been noticing a rise in online problem gambling.
Director Pesio Ah-Honi said COVID-19 was causing more Pacific people to turn to their devices to feed their gambling habits.
She said there had been an increase in 20 to 30-year-old Pacific men seeking counselling to help them quit. “We started hearing they were gambling online, some of them were buying lotto more online and playing the lotto scratchies online, and then others playing casino type slot games online from overseas companies, and slowly we have seen an increase of that.”
Ms Pesio Ah-Honi said boredom, isolation, loneliness and desperation were driving people to take up the online gambling habit and she’s worried about the long-term impacts.
“Anecdotally we are seeing it in the frontline as lockdowns continue and as people are more and more isolated, we are going to see the online gambling spending increase, we are going to see online gambling harm increase, and we are going to see more and more fallout from it in terms of an increase in mental health, social impacts of jobs, families, relationships, domestic violence.”