‘Dangerous’ public health crisis hits Australian women

There’s an “urgent” public health crisis impacting Australian women that nobody is talking about, with many slipping through the cracks.

OPINION

I’m a recovering gambling addict. The stigma and lack of support for women like me means many are slipping through the cracks.

I’m a hidden demographic – and so is she: The woman in her work uniform playing the pokies during her break; the retiree who just needed a safe place to go in the evenings; the woman escaping domestic violence, looking for a brief reprieve from her reality; the caregiver who has given all she has and now turns to the machines for some me-time; the professional who hides her addiction beneath her polished exterior. And me, a capable, educated woman recovering from an unseen battle with gambling addiction.

Every day, more women than you think walk the line between everyday life and the impacts of gambling harm. Our stories often go unnoticed, swallowed by a societal narrative that frames gambling addiction as a male issue. In truth, women’s gambling participation rates are nearly equal to those of men – approximately 70 per cent of women in Australia gamble at least once a year. And yet, no one is talking about it.

The stigma and shame is pervasive. I am a capable, tertiary educated woman with a supportive family and a corporate job. I studied at university. I have worked without a break since my teenage years. Despite having every advantage available to me, it was only recently that I felt able to speak up about what happened to me.

Like most Australian kids, the normalisation of gambling in my life began at a young age. I recall people walking out of venues smiling and clapping each other on the back when they won. At the pub for a family lunch, I used to watch adults disappear behind the glass screens into the pokies room, as if stepping into a different world where fortunes could be won with the press of a button. It all seemed so innocent then – the excitement, the thrill.

But those early experiences planted the seeds of a habit that would grow into something much darker. My habit developed slowly. It crept up through my university studies into a seven day a week habit which I concealed from everyone I knew and loved. It was dangerous and it impacted my life in every way. It was insidious and rooted in fear, guilt and shame.

Anna Martin is speaking out. Picture: Supplied

I am now a lived experience advocate and through our initiative, The Untangle Project, we are breaking the silence. Women have started to speak to us about why they gamble. They do it silently. They do it when their caring responsibilities are completed for the day. They do it to escape domestic abuse. They do it to feel safe, because where else can women go in the evenings where they’ll be safe from unwanted attention, free from the pressures of life, and even enjoy a cup of tea?

Women impacted by gambling harm are facing breakdowns in their lives, grappling with the financial loss, emotional toll, trauma, and the relentless cycle of shame associated with their gambling. Many may not have shared their struggles with anyone at all, keeping their pain locked away while attempting to maintain the appearance that everything is okay.

There needs to be an urgent and critical focus on the development of support services that are committed to providing tailored assistance to help groups of people affected by gambling where the issue isn’t talked about. The Untangle Project helps women who are experiencing gambling harm. The women who want to advocate sometimes more quietly than men around this issue. The women who are supporting others through the journey of navigating gambling harm recovery and don’t know where to find the support they need – because it simply doesn’t exist.

Anna says it’s time to make a change. Picture: Supplied

This is a public health crisis for Australian women, and it will persist until meaningful change becomes a primary, well-funded, and ongoing priority for our country.

And yet still, the government remains reluctant to commit to banning gambling advertising. We need to ask why that reluctance exists – and why the community isn’t standing up together to support those who are adversely affected.

The recently released Grattan Report into the State of Gambling in Australia confirmed that a poker machine is now more commonly found in Australian suburbs than a post box, public toilet or public telephone. The report also outlined that Australians have the highest gambling losses in the world, clocking in at $32 billion last year.

Why isn’t the community standing up together to support those who are adversely affected? Picture: iStock

A friend’s son knows the ending on most gambling ads; he can tell you in a heartbeat who to call and which website. Why is that? Because our younger generation are being exposed to gambling ads unnecessarily. They pop up in most shows, showing men (usually) being together, gambling and having fun.

For some of our younger generation, who are lonely, who perhaps don’t fit in, gambling appears to be something they can bond over, make friends through, and even win at. We must stop normalising gambling without properly recognising the harm it causes.

The government must actively work with lived experience people to ensure their perspective is considered and respected in the development of change. There also needs to be recognition of the force of change – and that when women band together to help other women, there are few stronger forces in the world.

Anna Martin is the founder of The Untangle Project, a safe non judgmental space for women navigating the negative impacts of gambling harm. For more information about The Untangle Project, please visit www.theuntangleprojectaus.net