In Australia, financial stress and cultural differences make migrants particularly vulnerable to gambling harms

Saturday, November 23, 2024 12:26 PM
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  • Himanshu Gupta, Devaki Monani, James Smith and Noemi Tari-Keresztes, The Conversation

Australians lose around A$25 billion [US$16 billion] on legal forms of gambling each year, representing the largest per person losses in the world.

Gambling harms – including financial, emotional, social and psychological costs – extend to loved ones, peers and co-workers and the community. And some communities are impacted differently to others.

The Northern Territory has a growing multicultural population, with 22% of residents born overseas and 33% speaking a language other than English at home. About 37% of multicultural Territorians are considered at-risk gamblers, compared to 14% in English speaking households.

Many migrants, including those in the NT, experience financial, social, and emotional pressures, which sometimes lead them to gambling as a means of socialisation or stress relief.