The Independent Gambling Authority in South Australia is to commission a definitive study of gambling in March. The results will be published after a minimum of six months research, and will give a comprehensive profile of the industry and an analysis of its social impact, which will be used in the formation of future policies for the gaming industry.

Since poker machines were introduced, about ten years ago, much has been said and written about their proliferation and problem gambling. Last month the State passed legislation to reduce the number of pokies by 3,000. Throughout Australia the State Parliaments have been accused of becoming too reliant on gaming taxes to fund their spending budgets. The new research is intended to cover aspects of gambling ranging from economic benefits to a complete industry profile.

Researchers across the world study the causes and effects of gambling on individuals and society in general. A recent report from Hamburg, Germany, states that people who gamble heavily have a similar pattern of brain activity to people who are addicted to drugs. The researchers suggest that this could be from the inability to maintain necessary dopamine levels in the brain, which produce feelings of satisfaction and pleasure, leaving addicts needing stronger stimulation such as excessive gambling.

Countless pieces of research have been published on gambling. Yale University decided gambling was good for you, as long as you were over sixty. Auckland University of Technology published its results of a seven year study, which concluded that problem gambling was much more prevalent than had been thought but that there was far less long-term damage than conventional theories suggested. Harvard University has recently produced a report showing that gaming in tribal areas has improved the standard of living of Native Americans as well as lifting their aspirations. The general consensus seems to be that an addictive personality is the creator of a problem gambler, rather than access to legal gaming activity.

The Australian study will be put out to tender and will be the first of a series of research projects to be undertaken by the Independent Gambling Authority. When completed it should make interesting reading as it will assess the knock-on effect of the usual benefits, from additional employment and tourism, through to other industries. It will also examine whether gamblers switch from one form of gaming to another, and the economic contributions from each sector of the industry. This year the State Government will receive around $400 million in gambling taxes. South Australians spent $7.4 billion on gambling in the year 2002-03, and this figure is increasing.

To ensure that all forms of wagering are part of a general pursuit of entertainment rather than a compulsion, more emphasis must be placed on public education from an early age and the adequate training of employees and management in the gaming industry to recognize the initial presentation of addictive gambling symptoms. Perhaps if more funding went into those, as well as into the countless gambling studies, then problem gambling would be in less need of researching. (E - 01.11.2005)

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