Who is affected by problem gambling at home?

On average, a problem gambler's behaviour affects around 7 people (Productivity

Commission, 1999). Some of these people are those that the the gambler lives with.

Children, in particular, are affected by the problem gambling of someone

they live with. 290,000 Australians have significant gambling problems andjust under 50% of these people live in households with an average of 2 children (Productivity Commission, 1999).

Some of the other people at home who may be affected include:

Parents/Step parents

Partners

Grandparents and other relatives

Flat Mates/House Mates

Siblings

Boyfriends/Girlfriends

How are the people a problem gambler lives with affected by problem gambling?

Those living with problem gamblers can be affected in many ways. The following scenarios illustrate the situations that young people may experience and some of the possible effects.

Mel

Mel is 20 years old and lives with her Mum. She is studying at uni and gets by on Austudy. Mel and her Mum really enjoy going to the local hotel for a meal. More often than not they then go and play the pokies in the gaming room. Melanie is now finding her Austudy isn't going as far and she has noticed her Mum never seems to have any money either. She is starting to worry about how they will pay their electricity bill that is due next week.

Jay and Cam

Jay is 24 and shares a flat with her boyfriend Cam who is the same age. They met through work and have been living together for about six months. Lately Jay has been feeling really upset because she and Cam have been fighting a lot. For the last month Cam hasn't had the money to pay the rent. He asked Jay to pay it and said he would pay her back. Every time she asks him, he still doesn't have the money. Things got worse yesterday when she found a whole lot of wagering slips in the pocket of his jeans.

Sam

Sam is 10 years old and lives with his Mum, Dad and little brother. Lately things have been pretty tense at home. His Mum and Dad have been arguing and he has seen his Mum in tears. Yesterday his Dad told him that their Gran would be moving in with them. When Sam asked why, his Dad said "just because". Today Sam overheard his Mum and Dad talking about his Gran and how she had no money left and that they would have to sell her house. Sam thought this was weird because his parents had always said how lucky Gran was that she owned her own house and had plenty of money!

Some of the most common ways people are affected by living with a problem gambler are:

Financial difficulties resulting in:

less money to spend on food and other basic living costs

loss of business

loss of home

eviction from rental or foreclosure on a mortgage

risk of homelessness

bankruptcy

increased financial pressure

Increased stress levels, sometimes resulting in stress related illnesses.

Domestic violence

Relationship breakdown

Young people living with a gambling parent have been found to be at greater risk of:

Developing unhealthy patterns of behaviour and addictions (smoking, drinking,

drug use, overeating and gambling).

Feeling like they are on a see-saw, having their needs ignored by their parents

and/or then finding their parents become overly indulgent or attentive

Abuse by parents

School performance being affected

Stress related illnesses such as eczema, asthma and allergies

Lower quality of life

Poor problem solving skills

Experience confusing feelings such as, anger, loneliness, rejection, hurt,

abandonment , responsibility and guilt (Jacobs, Marston, Singer, Widamon,

Little & Verzades, 1989).

Sources:
Productivity Commission (1999). Australian Gambling Industries, Inquiry Report, Canberra.

Jacobs, D.F., Marston, A.R., Singer, R.D., Widamon, K., Little, T., & Verzades, J. (1989). Children of problem gamblers. Journal of Gambling Behaviour, 5(4), 261-268.