Online Gambling Texting

September 26, 2007

Those that are addicted to online gambling often have a hard time finding help for their addiction. Either they are embarrassed to seek help, or perhaps there are no local locations for them that they can go to in order to get the help they desperately need. Well the NSW Government has decided to do something about that.

They are currently starting a $1.8 million online gambling awareness program that will have live web casts and internet chat rooms, as well as SMS advice lines that people can use to access assistance with their gambling problems. Friends of gamblers will be able to text them anonymous messages to get them help, without the onus being left on them to make sure that they find the help they need.

A recent study shows that men aged 18-24 are the current range where most online gambling addicts seem to be falling, but they are also the least likely to seek help for their addiction. Gaming and Racing Minister Graham West said that with this being the start of the trend, if they don’t do something to stop it now, they will end up with an entire nation full of online gambling addicts, only because they did not seek help.

It is their job to get them the help they need, even before they realize that they are in serious trouble. They are looking at all kinds of targeting campaigns that will work to raise the awareness through “morning after” types of locations such as coffee cups, etc. where they are most likely to see the messages after a long night of gambling.

They are aware that with the current fascination with mobile phones and texting that they may be their best outlet to getting them help, so if you think that someone you know has a problem you can send them a text that would contain all the necessary information for them to get assistance.


Back to September 2007 Archive.