Abstract
Gambling affects communities in many ways, yet relatively little research has investigated community level impacts of gambling in the context of Indigenous communities. To help address this gap in research, this research investigates the impacts of gambling on Aboriginal communities across New South Wales, Australia. Thirteen Aboriginal community leaders were interviewed by an Aboriginal member of the research team. Interviews were semi-structured, in-depth and conducted by telephone. The results showed some culturally distinctive positive and negative gambling impacts were being experienced across different Aboriginal communities. Positive impacts were reported as collective socialising and the opportunity to win money. Negative impacts were said to be community deprivation and cultural obligations not being fulfilled. Several important public health strategies to reduce negative gambling impacts were suggested. These were to enable self-recognition of gambling difficulties by the gambler, to use already established Aboriginal support groups to assist in this process, and to design and provide culturally appropriate public education and gambling awareness programs targeted at a community level. Recognising differences between communities, involvement by local Aboriginal people in developing and providing public health programs is recommended.
Highlights
Gambling affects communities in many ways, yet relatively little research has investigated community level impacts of gambling in the context of Indigenous communities
While not attempting to assess the socio-economic impact of gambling on Aboriginal communities, this paper investigates the positive and negative impacts of gambling on their communities, as perceived by Aboriginal community leaders
Aboriginal Australian people comprise a small group in the national population (2.5%) which is relatively young, with about 27% living in remote regions and about 30% living in major cities (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2006, 2012)
Summary
Gambling affects communities in many ways, yet relatively little research has investigated community level impacts of gambling in the context of Indigenous communities. Several important public health strategies to reduce negative gambling impacts were suggested These were to enable self-recognition of gambling difficulties by the gambler, to use already established Aboriginal support groups to assist in this process, and to design and provide culturally appropriate public education and gambling awareness programs targeted at a community level. The harm arising from excessive or problematic gambling affects problem and at-risk gamblers, their families, friends, employers, communities and society in a widening circle. Certain cultural groups appear to be more vulnerable to gambling uptake and to the development of problem gambling (Raylu & Oei, 2004), a suggestion supported by Marshall and Wynne (2003) in research conducted with First Nations people in Canada. Research efforts to identify and potentially limit harmful gambling impacts are an essential component of good public health practice
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