POKIE MACHINE ADDICTION IN AUSTRALIA

1. POKIE MACHINE ADDICTION IN AUSTRALIA

2. Poker Machines can be found in in any club, pub or casino in Australia

3. Poker Machines are now available online in cyber space, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

4. "There's no country in the world that has gambling in clubs and pubs in the way that we do in Australia." Professor Jan Macmillan. For just over 50 years "the pokies" have been relieving Australian punters of their money. One counsellor describes Poker Machine Addiction as the crack cocaine of gambling. Barry Ruherford (Journalist Hubpages.com)

5. The pokies are simply a form of entertainment. However, sometimes people play the pokies for the wrong reasons, often spending more money or time than they can afford. If you think that you can beat the pokies, think again. You cannot change the fact that the odds are stacked against you.

6. What does Addiction mean? An addiction can be any behaviour that one engages in compulsively, that an individual is unable to control despite a desire to do so, and that has caused negative consequences within one’s life. http://samaritan-vail.org/index.php/vail-counseling/resources/what-does-the-term-addiction-mean/

7. The Poker Machine ‘The pokies’ Gaming machine Fruit-machine ‘One-armed bandit's'

8. Australia, now has more Poker Machines per-capita, than any country on earth. Barry Rutherford, Hub Pages

9. www.problemgaming.gov.au • Think about these facts: • Each poker machine has a computer program. • Pokies are programmed so that in the end the machine will win. • Nothing you do changes that Pokies are not designed to provide you with extra income. • They are designed to make profit for others • Like other forms of entertainment, you pay to play the pokies. The more you play, the more you pay • You can't influence the machines. Nothing you do can influence the machines

10. www.problemgaming.gov.au • Think about these facts: • Some people can experience significant harm from gambling. Up to 500,000 Australians are atrisk of becoming, or are, problem gamblers. • The social cost to the community of problem gambling is estimated to be at least $4.7 billion a year. • The actions of one problem gambler negatively impacts the lives of between five and 10 others. This means there are up to five million Australians who could be affected by problem gambling each year, including friends, family and employers of people with a gambling problem. • Only around 15 per cent of problem gamblers seek help.

11. This chart from the Productivity Commission’s 2009 report shows that “gaming machines” (read: poker machines) take players’ money more than 6 times faster than any other form of gambling.

14. One in six people who play the pokies regularly has a severe gambling problem. People who have a problem with their gambling lose an average of $21,000 a year. www.problemgaming.gov.au

15. That’s a third of the average annual salary. Hard earned money that would otherwise be used to pay bills, pay off the mortgage or take holidays with the kids. www.problemgaming.gov.au

16. Listen to 3 stories about how harmful and destructive pokieaddiction can be. Gabriella’s Story – mother and wife Peter’s Story – husband of Gabriella Thomas’ Story

17. Pokie machine addiction has ruined people’s lives. YoutubeClips Thomas’ Story http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=L1IlQ419vSs Gabriela’s Story http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OSg3WuHDhEc Peter’s Story http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wSewJd7E-_M

18. Nathan Hindmarsh : NRL superstar reveals the story behind his $200,000 pokie addiction (The Daily Telegraph – Friday July 20 2012) I tried to walk away from the pokies but the temptation was everywhere. I'd go through $1000 a night, a few nights a week, if I had the money. Sometimes I'd blow up to $4000 a week, although sometimes I went through that amount in one night. That was my max. When it got to that level, I'd be borrowing from my teammates. I'd wake up the next morning and feel like shit. It was worse when I borrowed to gamble, though I never had trouble paying it back. I had thrown away $200,000 by the time I was in my early twenties. It was such a waste. I think about all the things I could have done with that money: I could have owned the house I'm sitting in now, or I could have put a lot more towards a house or an investment property. It was a hard lesson learned. I would have liked not to have done it but I couldn't stop myself.

19. ‘Blow Up the Pokies’ Hit Song ‘Blow up the Pokies’ by The Whitlam’s The song is a testimonial to Andy Lewis (1967 - February 12, 2000), who was the original bassist of Australian band The Whitlam's. He left The Whitlam's in the late 1995, and went to Melbourne, Australia to form another band, The Gadfly's. He committed suicide in February 2000, aged 33, battling a gambling addiction. www.youtube.com/watch?v=79o8qiGmkOU Tim Freedman of the Whitlams apperance on Insight to explain the meaning behind the song. Tim lost Andy, and 4 other friends were seriously addicted to pokies. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ogj5ztTE0zw 7 Jan 2010 - 3 min - Uploaded by proeysborther They didn't force anyone to play pokies. There are hundreds of temptations out there. Stage 3 - 6

20. "Blow Up the Pokies" By music group The Whitlam's, Love This City Album (2000) There was the stage, two red lights and a dodgy P.A.You trod the planks way back thenAnd it's strange that you're here again, here againAnd I wish I, wish I knew the right wordsTo make you feel better, walk out of this placeand defeat them in your secret battleShow them you can be your own man again Don’t; don't explain....Lots of little victories take on the painIt takes so long to earn-You can double up or you can burn,You can burn And I wish I, wish I knew the right wordsTo make you feel better, walk out of this placeAnd defeat them in your secret battleShow them you can be your own man againAnd I wish I, wish I knew the right wordsTo blow up the pokies and drag them away'Cause they're taking the food off your tableSo they can say that the trains run on timeFlashing lights, it's a real showAnd your wife? I wouldn't go homeThe little bundles need careAnd you can't be a father there, father thereAnd I wish I, wish I knew the right wordsTo make you feel better, walk out of this placeAnd Defeat them in your secret battleShow them you can be your own man again; show them you can be your own man again...And I wish I, wish I knew the right wordsTo blow up the pokies and drag them away'Cause they're taking the food off your tableSo they can say that the trains run on time www.lyricsdepot.com/the-whitlams/blow-up-the-pokies.html

21. Dealing with pokie addiction in Australia has become a political issue

22. ‘I wish I’d never brought in poker machines, I think they’re a scourge… The problem with poker machines in my view is that the people who mainly play them are the people who can least afford to do so. I wish I hadn’t done it.’ Former Queensland Premier Wayne Goss, quoted in the Courier Mail

23. A proposed scheme in Australia would allow gamblers to determine their own gambling limit - via a smart card before they sit down at a machine. Spearheaded by Andrew Wilkie, the legislation is being bitterly fought by the Clubs who stand to lose millions of dollars.

24. Clubs will lose millions in profit. They are arguing that it’s un-Australian to enforce a smart card

25. Father Chris Riley believes a better way to tackle pokie machine addiction was treatment and counselling, not legislation.

26. As the gamblers becoming addicted State Governments have become addicted to the revenue that poker machines generate. "There's no country in the world that has gambling in clubs and pubs in the way that we do in Australia." Professor Jan Macmillan. For every dollar spent at the racetrack, $5 is spent on poker machines. Australia's 200,000-odd poker machines transfer more than $10 billion dollars each year from the pockets of Australian gamblers to the coffers of pub owners, club managements, and state governments. Most research shows that more than a third of the money swallowed by the pokies comes from people who can't control how much they spend. http://barryrutherford.hubpages.com/hub/poker-machines-you-might-as-well-throw-your-money-out-the-window

27. Catholic Church View THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT You shall not steal.186 Catechism 2413Games of chance (card games, etc.) or wagers are not in themselves contrary to justice. They become morally unacceptable when they deprive someone of what is necessary to provide for his needs and those of others. The passion for gambling risks becoming an enslavement. Unfair wagers and cheating at games constitute grave matter, unless the damage inflicted is so slight that the one who suffers it cannot reasonably consider it significant. (Matt. 15:9). “ Where God's Word does not clearly declare a certain behaviour sinful, we must refrain from binding the consciences of others." Catechism of the Catholic Church.Part Three – Life in Christ – Section Two – The Ten Commandments – Chapter Two – Article 7 – 2413 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_11D0wknYRI Audio and visual statement of the Cathechism of the Catholic Church statement on why/how gambling becomes a grave sin.

28. Scripture References - God's Word is No Gamble The Bible encourages us to consider our activities in this way: "Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything. (1 Corinthians 6:12, NIV) This verse appears again in 1 Corinthians 10:23, with the addition of this idea: "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive.“ ’ When an activity is not distinctly described as sin (e.g. social forms of gambling) in the Bible, we can ask ourselves these questions: "Is this activity beneficial for me or will it become my master? Will participation in this activity be constructive or destructive to my Christian life and witness?“ Source: http://christianity.about.com/od/whatdoesthebiblesay/f/isgamblingasin.htmJack Zavada

29. Scripture References - God's Word is No Gamble Gambling, as any addiction, can destroy the stability of the family, lead to job loss, and cause a person to lose control of their life: ‘…for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. ‘(2 Peter 2:19) Some argue that gambling is nothing more than entertainment, no more immoral than going to a movie or concert. People who attend movies or concerts expect only entertainment in return, however, not money. They are not tempted to keep spending until they "break even." Source: http://christianity.about.com/od/whatdoesthebiblesay/f/isgamblingasin.htmJack Zavada

30. Teaching and Learning Resources: Poker Machine Addiction in Australia

31. How should society deal with pokie addiction? Government legislation OR Education, counselling and treatment

32. Poker Machines are not illegal, but are they immoral ?

33. Are our clubs and pubs supporting social and sport activities or addiction ?

34. It is Un-Australian and against our freedom to restrict access to Poker Machines !

35. Additional Video Clip Resources Story of a gambling loser in Australia. Features re-enactments by an actor and interviews with a psychologist. Produced by Alfabetto http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohBDEZLQA64 Ten News., March 2011 PM , Government, Wilkie issue http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDaCKkUlWno 7:30 Report, ABC . Stop the lost. org.au – api 12 billion dollars designed to addict http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfUsYR4XhL4 04Nov09: The poker machine industry is worth twelve million dollars a year and it is estimated that forty per cent of the money brought in from pokies comes from problem gamblers. To discourage young people from taking up gambling, state and territory governments have agreed minors should not be exposed to gambling areas in pubs and clubs. Anti-pokie campaigners are attacking these venues for providing family entertainment and argue allowing minors to dine and play near poker machines is harmful.

36. Poker machine reforms won't work? Don't bet on it . Poker machine addicts are not problem gamblers, not in the classic sense. It's not about weighing up the odds, making your decisions and sweating on the outcome. There's no sense of achievement, no rush, no thrill. Poker machines dull your mind and provide a refuge from the world. It's about repetition, the hypnotic action of the spinning reels; it's the very fact that no knowledge or decision-making is required that makes them so effective at fostering addiction and taking your money. And every few seconds, you have the opportunity to win... to make up for the losses you've already had. Problem gamblers want to bet, and will find any excuse to do so. Poker machine addicts hate their addiction, and desperately want to stop... but feel unable to do so. It's irrational, sure, but it's the reality. Tom Cummings The Drum ABC TV 30 Septemberhttp://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/3052574.html

37. Gambling Addiction You may have a gambling problem if you: Feel the need to be secretive about your gambling. You might gamble in secret or lie about how much you gamble, feeling others won’t understand or that you will surprise them with a big win. Have trouble controlling your gambling. Once you start gambling, can you walk away? Or are you compelled to gamble until you’ve spent your last dollar, upping your bets in a bid to win lost money back? Gamble even when you don’t have the money. A red flag is when you are getting more and more desperate to recoup your losses. You may gamble until you’ve spent your last dollar, and then move on to money you don’t have- money to pay bills, credit cards, or things for your children. You may feel pushed to borrow, sell, or even steal things for gambling money. It’s a vicious cycle. You may sincerely believe that gambling more money is the only way to win lost money back. But it only puts you further and further in the hole. Family and friends are worried about you. Denial keeps problem gambling going. If friends and family are worried, listen to them carefully. Take a hard look at how gambling is affecting your life. It’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help. http://www.helpguide.org/mental/gambling_addiction.htm

38. School-based Gambling Education Key points _ There are high rates of gambling among teenagers. Many people reporting gambling problems as adults began gambling as a teenager. _ Evaluations of school-based education for gambling, while limited, mostly find improved understanding of gambling, but not positive behavioural change. – The richer evidence base for education aimed at other risky activities — alcohol, drugs and road safety — shows similarly modest impacts and, in some cases, increased risk-taking behaviour. _ This suggests caution in adopting school-based gambling education – the risks may be moderated by appropriately timing interventions and by presenting more than mere factual information about gambling. _ Existing school-based programs should be rigorously evaluated and either modified to address risks or abandoned if they are found to actually promote harmful gambling behaviours. Source: Productivity Commission 2010, Gambling, Report no. 50, Canberra.

39. Teaching and Learning Resources: Critical Interpretation and Evaluation of Culture

40. Stage 3 - 6 . http://catholicreligionteacher.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/catholic-social-teaching-logo-017.jpg

41. Stage 2 - 8 Univ. of Queensland Press, 1995 - 83 pages A special reissue of the much-loved 1996 CBCA Book of the Year for Younger Readers Unhand that innocent young traveller, you blaggard, or I'll run you through and leave your carcass here for the birds to pick clean. Meet Anton. Kids think he's a fruit loop because he talks like a pirate. But new boy, Peter McNeill, needs a friend and the boys soon discover they have the same problem their dads. Peter's father has gambled away all their money, but Anton's dad . . . now that's a different story. Some things just have to be faced up to and it takes courage, it takes a hero who laughs at danger, a warrior willing to battle dragons, it takes a swashbuckler! A rip-roaring adventure from one of Australia's master storytellers.

42. http://www.alex-zan.com Critical Thinking – Stage 1-3

43. Stage 3 - 6 These phases are not linear but recursive and encourage critical reflection on the roles that both students and educators play as learners and teachers. http://www.orillas.org/math/Graphics/CriticalInquiryTriangle.gif

44. Bloom’s Taxonomy

45. http://johnkapeleris.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Six-Thinking-Hats-Process.pnghttp://johnkapeleris.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Six-Thinking-Hats-Process.png

46. Kathryn Kelley – OLMC Burraneer 18/06/2009 STAGE 4 ENGLISH – MEDIA UNIT THEME: TRUTH IN NEWS REPORTING FOCUS QUESTION: Are we really being told the truth? BLOOM’S TAXONOMY STRATEGY ACTIVITY Knowledge/ Remember Identify and describe the different forms of media that report the news. Comprehension/ Understand Compare the different forms and prepare a summary report of the advantages of each type of media. Application/ Apply View two news reports of an event in the news then compile your won news report of this event and prepare a podcast to present to the class. Analysis/ Analyse View two news reports of the same event then compose a Venn diagram which compares how the information is presented. Synthesis/Create Research the event in the news and compile your own version of the events, using bias to persuade your audience to accept your point of view. Evaluation/Evaluate If there are two opposing points of view about a news event how can we decide which is the most truthful?

47. Bibliography Presentation Resources: Interviews of Poker Machine Gambling Addicts: Afterlight Documentaries and Arthouse Short Stories – Alfabetto (2006) Gambling Addiction – Inside Story, Retrieved July 20, 2012 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohBDEZLQA64 Australian Government: Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (2012) Problem Gambling – Testimony Gabriela Byrne , Retrieved July 20, 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OSg3WuHDhEc Australian Government: Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Affairs (2012) Problem Gambling - Testimony Peter Byrne , Retrieved July 20, 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wSewJd7E-_M Australian Government: Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (2012) Problem Gambling - Testimony Thomas , Retrieved July 20, 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=L1IlQ419vSs Celebrity Interview News Limited The Daily Telegraph (2012), Loyd Justin, Nathan Hindmarsh - Poker Machine Addiction, Retrieved July 20, 2012, from http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/nathan-hindmarsh-reveals-the-story-behind-his-200000-pokie-addiction/story-e6frexnr-1226430355111

48. Critical Cultural Interpretation – Song – Blow Up The Pokies – The Whitlams Special Boadcasting Service Australian Broadcasting Commission Television (2008) Insight - Playing with the Pokies – Tim Freeman, Retrieved 04 August, 2012, from www.youtube.com/watch?v=79o8qiGmkOU Presentation Resources: News Clips Australian Broadcasting Commission Television (2009) Stop the lost. org.au – api 12 billion dollars designed to addict - Critics say clubs breeding new pokie addicts, Retrieved July 20, 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfUsYR4XhL4 Network Ten Australia (2010) Proposed new Poker Machine laws, The Wilkie Issue, Retrieved July 20, 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDaCKkUlWno Research About.com New York Times Company (2012) Is Gambling A Sin? by Zavada, Jack Retrieved 04 August 2012, from http://christianity.about.com/od/whatdoesthebiblesay/f/isgamblingasin.htm Australian Broadcasting Commission Television (2011) Tom Cummings The Drum ABC Poker machine reforms won't work? Don't bet on it Transcript, Retrieved July 20, 2012, from http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/3052574.htmlAustralian Government: Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (2012) Problem Gambling, Retrieved July 20, 2012, from http://www.problemgambling.gov.au/

49. Australian Government: Productivity Commission (December 1999) Australia's Gambling Industries - Productivity Commission Inquiry Report, 12/1999 Canberra, Retrieved July 20 2012, from http://www.pc.gov.au/projects/inquiry/gambling/docs/finalreport Australian Government: Productivity Commission (2010) , Gambling, Report no. 50, Canberra, School Based Gambling Education , Retrieved July 20 2012, from http://www.pc.gov.au/projects/inquiry/gambling-2009/report Catholic Church. Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2nd ed. Vatican: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, (2011) Catechism of the Catholic Church (Part Three Life In Christ Section Two The Ten Commandments, Chapter Two Article 7 The Seventh Commandment 186, 2413), Retrieved 4 August 2012, from www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a7.htm Helpguide.org , Gambling Addiction, Retrieved July 201, 2012, from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/gambling_addiction.htm Hubpages (2012) by Rutherford, Barry, Poker Machine Addiction in Australia, Retrieved 4 August 2012, from http://barryrutherford.hubpages.com/hub/poker-machines-you-might-as-well-throw-your-money-out-the-window Samaritan Counselling Centre (2012) What does the term addiction mean? , Retrieved July 20 2012, from http://samaritan-vail.org/index.php/vail-counseling/resources/what-does-the-term-addiction-mean/ State Government of Victoria, Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation (2012), Playing the pokies, Retrieved July 20, 2012, from http://www.problemgambling.vic.gov.au/main/taking-control/playing-pokies

50. Stop The Loss Coalition (2012), Retrieved July 20, 2012 from http://www.stoptheloss.org.au/post/16095818652/i-wish-id-never-brought-in-poker-machines-i Sydney Morning Herald (2012), Gardiner, Stephanie – Why I joined clubs' fight against pokie reform: Father Chris, Retrieved July 20 2012, from http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/why-i-joined-clubs-fight-against-pokie-reform-father-chris-20111207-1ohvp.htm l The Mercury News (2012), Wind back looks a sure thing, Martin, Hanna, Retrieved July 20, 2012, from http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2011/01/30/203451_tasmania-news.html 2WAY FM Wauchope New South Wales. (2011) Blowing up the Pokies in Australia - Finally! (Clubs NSW misinformation issue), Retrieved July 20 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Oy-U7cMqXUU