Problem Gambling In New Zealand

New Zealand’s gambling industry is always changing, so it is important to keep up with new improvements in the industry. This year, the problem gambling foundation has released a review on the current condition of the nation’s gambling industry, featuring some key concerns about problem gambling and underage gambling.

According to the review, Gambling in New Zealand, location is a major concern. It seems that poker machines are not evenly distributed across the nation. Instead, they are focused in areas of low income. In poverty-stricken areas the ratio of poker machines to people is 1:75, whereas the rate in wealthy neighborhoods is 1:465. As such, people in low-income places are six-times more likely to come in contact with gambling. Game playing club owners say that they are not focusing on these areas; rather, they are simply meeting the demand for electronic gaming. The review also includes a latest list of risks. This information offers up some useful understanding into what types of people are more susceptible to creating gambling addictions. Adults of Pacific descent and Maori are 3.5 times more likely to be problem gamblers while men are twice as likely as women to develop gambling addictions. Those with substance abuse problems and those suffering from depressive disorders and anxiety also present an increased chance of creating gambling issues. In the past few years, youths have become a high-risk group. More and more adolescents are being revealed to gambling, and some are even playing the game. The review points out statistics from a study, displaying that 36% of adolescents started gambling by the time they were just ten years of age. Most children were presented to cards and slots by a friend, and youths growing up in single-parent homes were even more likely to come in contact with the action.