‘Upwards of $50-60,000 in cash being on the blankets in the gambling den’: Surge in NT gambling linked to COVID-19 stimulus payments

POLICE say thousands are being wagered on a single game of cards in remote communities amid a surge in gambling linked to COVID-19 stimulus payments

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POLICE say up to $60,000 is being wagered on a single game of cards in remote communities amid a surge in gambling linked to COVID-19 stimulus payments.

Documents obtained under Freedom of Information show concerns were raised with Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt about an increase in gambling following the increased Centrelink payments and early access to superannuation.

Minister for Territory Families Kate Worden confirmed the Territory had seen an increase in gambling since the payments began.

“Things like the Territory Check-In App can show us where people actually are and I believe places like the casino have had the highest rate of people checking in,” she said.

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An NT News investigation has revealed the extra money provided to help people through the pandemic has seen a surge in alcohol and drug consumption, as well as gambling.

“This is what happens and there’s plenty of evidence that when additional money flows into a community that is traditionally living with poverty, this is an unintended consequence,” Ms Worden said.

“It is an outcome of poverty, people are always looking for ‘I might win that extra bit of money’ and it actually is like alcoholism, it’s a disease.”

Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker said there had also been an increase in card games in remote communities and around urban areas.

Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker. Picture: Che Chorley

“From reports from people we know in communities, upwards of $50-60,000 in cash being on the blankets in the gambling dens,” he said.

Michael Liddle, who runs the Codes 4 Life program for Aboriginal men, said there had been a sharp increase in card games being played around Alice Springs in recent months.

“Card games are everywhere in Alice Springs, packs of 30-40 people and they’re all playing cards,” he said.

Police fear the increase in gambling is linked to a rise in the number of children wandering the streets at night.

“More concerningly for us, is the fact that many of the people who are gambling are women and the children are floating around there and unfortunately the family focus is more on the money that’s in the pool, and money that if it was retained for the family, could probably do a lot more good for the family, meanwhile children are going without any supervision, potentially without food,” Mr Chalker said.

While the documents obtained by the NT News relate specifically to the impact of extra payments on Indigenous Australians, Labor says the impact has been felt across the country.

“Similar things about purchase of alcohol and gambling increased in the broader community when the government gave people capacity to access superannuation early,” Labor’s Indigenous Affairs spokeswoman Linda Burney said.

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Mindil Beach Casino Resort general manager Avril Baynes said the business had taken major steps to look after customers through their ‘Play It Safe’ initiative and the armband system, which was introduced to track every person who visited Mindil Beach Casino Resort.

“This is one of the reasons why we have such a high rate on the government check-in app,” Ms Baynes said.

“The other is that Mindil Beach Casino Resort is, by far, the largest hospitality venue in the NT – the larger the venue, the higher the check-in rate.

“Mindil Beach Casino Resort continues to be strongly committed to the promotion of responsible gambling.”

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