More than one in 10 Canberrans were impacted by problem gambling in the past 12 months, new figures reveal.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The first major study of Canberra gambling habits since 2014 found 60 per cent of ACT adults took part in some form of gambling.
The 2019 ACT Gambling Survey, carried out by the Australian National University's Centre for Gambling Research, found 44,000 people, or 14 per cent of the population, were impacted by their own or someone else's problem gambling.
The survey of more than 10,000 people found men were more likely to gamble, with 64 per cent taking part in at least one form of betting, compared to 56 per cent of women.
Centre for Gambling Research director Dr Marisa Paterson said men were disproportionately at risk of being affected by problem gambling.
"Men have been targeted by marketing and advertising systematically over the past 10 years, and the survey has shown the detrimental impacts of that," Dr Paterson said.
"Gambling is seen as more socially acceptable and normalised now, partly because of advertising."
The survey revealed a large increase in the number of people gambling online compared to the last survey conducted five years ago.
The past 12 months saw 21 per cent of ACT gamblers using online services like websites and apps to bet, compared to just 8 per cent in 2014.
Men were twice as likely to gamble online than women.
On average, a gambler in Canberra lost $699 over the course of the year.
The most common form of gambling was buying lotto tickets, done by 44 per cent of gamblers, followed by scratchies (20 per cent), pokies (20 per cent), horse racing (12 per cent) and sports gambling (10 per cent).
Dr Paterson said while the broader public mostly saw gambling as having a negative impact, more people were placing bets.
"People see gambling as doing more harm than good, yet we're seeing people are highly engaged in it," she said.
"We've seen a significant rise in online gambling in the ACT."
She said more needed to be done to normalise those at risk of problem gambling seeking out support.
The survey found a loss of savings and spending money were the most common forms of harm experienced by gamblers, followed by arguments with loved ones, communication breakdowns, anxiety and stress.
"Emotional impacts of gambling were more commonly reported now," Dr Paterson said.
"The problem of people seeking help with gambling is in part due to the idea that people would only seek out help if they've lost their house or their job.
"We're saying it's OK to have a chat about gambling harm."
It's estimated 17,000 people in the ACT last year were affected, either emotionally or financially, from someone else's gambling.
"Females were more likely to be affected by someone else's gambling habits," Dr Paterson said.
The survey also found pokies use was an indication of whether a user would be more susceptible to problem gambling.
Those who used poker machines for more than one hour at a time were more at risk of problem gambling, while the risk was reduced if they were used for less than 10 minutes.
"For people who use pokies for more than an hour, two-thirds were at risk of problem gambling," Dr Paterson said.