A new report is revealing the toll gambling is taking on the whanau of addicts across the country.
Ronji Tanielu is a policy analyst for The Salvation Army, which sees these issues and the destruction caused by them up close. He says the report brings no surprises.
“We see the damage and the harm of gambling addiction and problem gambling every day. And I think one of the things that this report brings out is the interconnectedness of gambling harm to other stuff; to financial issues, health issues, mental health issues, so we are not surprised by this report at all.”
The New Zealand National gambling study from AUT, commissioned by the government, reveals addicts withdraw from and neglect whānau and community groups, and Tanielu says this could be a key indicator that someone's gambling is spiralling out of control.