Other Resources

How to I know if my gambling is safe

It is important to remember that all forms of gambling have an associated risk. If gambling is causing you any family, work, mental and physical health problems and or financial problems, it may be important to consult with a professional gambling help counsellor.

A counsellor will help link you to a financial counsellor (if needed) support you in better understanding the gambling behaviour and its impact on your life. The gambling help counsellor will also help you reassert control over your life by learning new more effective ways of coping.

Gambling can be safe if you consider and implement the following strategies:

• Be honest with family and friends about your gambling
• Limit the amount of time that you spend gambling (put an alarm on your watch/phone)
• Book something (a call from a friend, or an appointment) immediately after your gambling time expires – this prevents you staying longer
• Expect to lose the money as a cost of your entertainment/recreation – how much is your entertainment worth?
• Avoid gambling if you are feeling emotional or there has been a recent change in your circumstances, or if you have urgent debts
• Prepare a budget prior to coming to a gambling venue
• Talk to someone for 30-60 minutes prior to playing
• Leave your bank/EFTPOS card at home
• Never go to a gambling venue with a NEED to win money, or even strong thoughts about winning – you’ll chase the win and end up well behind
• Only come to the venue with the amount that you plan to spend
• Make yourself a very clear rule  – buy your food and pay bills first, never hock personal or family items, collect all credits over $100
• Never gamble with borrowed money – the odds are always against you, it will just lead to more debt
• Take regular breaks whilst gambling – go get a coffee, go for a quick walk etc.
• Don’t mix gambling with alcohol or other substances
• Consider leaving if you have a big win – your feelings will be high and you are likely to spend it on gambling chasing another big win

Gambling Safety Plan

A quick way to begin planning safety around gambling behaviours and the ramifications around unwanted behaviour. Download the worksheet here.

You can visit the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) MoneySmart website, or call ASIC’s Indigenous Helpline on 1300 365 957.

There’s no shame in getting a money check-up.

MoneySmart has developed videos for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people which explain how to:

Sort Out Money Problems

Follow the journey of Lisa, who is struggling to stay on top of her bills and seeks help from a financial counsellor. Lisa shows there’s no shame in asking for help if you’re struggling to pay your bills.

Deal with Family Pressure about Money

Uncle Charlie gets a big payment and is pressured by family to help them out with this money. Charlie helps his family realise he needs to make his money last so he has money for them when they really need it.

Click HERE to make an appointment or call us now on 08 8216 5246 (9am – 5pm Mon to Fri and out-of-hours please leave a message), or send us an email to gamblinghelp@rasa.org.au.

• Multicultural Services for Gambling Help
• Cambodian Service for Gambling Help

You can ask a gambling provider (venue) or Consumer and Business Services (CBS) to bar you from entering an area where gambling takes place. This can include hotels and clubs with gaming machines, and the Adelaide Casino.

Visit SA Government Liquor and Gambling Website for more information. Once there, navigate to “You need help with problem gambling”. Or, for a direct line to someone who can assist you with self-excluding yourself from one or more gambling venues, call: 8204 9966.

Urge Surfing

Simple way of dealing with cravings and unhelpful urges

What is Urge Surfing? Fighting a craving is like trying to fight waves in the ocean, it’s smarter to surf over them! Urge surfing means noticing your urges and simply watching them rise and fall like waves, while not having to respond.

Most of us have urges, but they pass. Urges usually peak between 20 – 30 minutes. If we can ride out the wave, it will pass. Of course, they come back again, so practice is important. Every time you surf the urge without acting on it, you get better and better. Urges show up less and they’ll be weaker.

How to do Urge Surfing

• Focus on your breathing, noticing the in and out of your breath.
• Notice your thoughts. Don’t judge, feed or fight them, just notice them.
• Gently bring your attention back to the breath.
• Notice the urge as an experience in your body.
• Focus on one body area where you feel the urge. Notice things like: It is hot or cold? Is it tight or relaxed? Does it have a movement?
• How intense is the sensation? Give it a score out of 10.
• Each time you feel an Urge arise, be curious about what happens and notice changes over time.

Things to Remember:

• Urges pass all by themselves. All urges, no matter how strong, will eventually pass.
• Urges arise like ocean waves, and they peak and fall away. They are often strongest just before they “break”.
• Practice Urge Surfing regularly to be well prepared to ride the waves without giving in.
• Urges are natural and are not “failures”.
• Urges that are not fed grow weaker over time.

Download your urge surfing card here.

Gambling Motivation Ruler

This exercise is designed to assess how motivated you are to change your gambling behaviour and address some of the reasons you many not be where you want to be. Download the worksheet here.

Gambling Helpline

The “self-help” section has a range of resources that can help you make change. More information here.

100 Day Challenge App

Download the app to discover 100 ways to help change your relationship with gambling. More information here.

The mindfulness walk

Take a ‘mindfulness walk’ with this simple mindfulness exercise can be done on a walk,  at home or in the garden, or with closed eyes visualising. Download your printable guide here.

There’s no one size fits all solution to approaching problem gambling or improving our mental health. However, there are many resources available to try out and learn how to use.

Not everything will work straight away or even at all.

Take the time to practice and get comfortable with a style of mindfulness that works for you at that moment.

You can listen to a guide to Urge Surfing for the times you may need it to assist with thoughts about Gambling or other actions that you would like support to hold off from doing.

There is a short grounding activity that helps you to focus on what you are able to do in times when you feel stuck or overwhelmed.

There is also a guided meditation to use as part of your daily self-care routine. This takes a bit longer and is a useful resource to help set your brain up to make mindful decisions as you go about your day.

Lived Experience Collective Story Game

View information on the resource here

The Roller Coaster of Gambling Addiction

In response to the 2018 South Australian Gambling Prevalence Survey, PEACE Multicultural Services designed and delivered two projects. PEACE delivered resilience building training to young people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The two-day training has strengthened participants’ capacity to manage life challenges, including gambling related issues.

Additionally, PEACE produced a video showcasing collective stories about gambling, its potential harm and journey towards recovery. The short film is titled the “Roller Coaster of Gambling Addiction” and highlights the collective stories of consumers from diverse backgrounds who have been impacted by gambling, and shows their journey of recovery. The Commissioner of Consumer Affairs and Liquor & Gambling Mr. Dini Soulio launched the video during an event organised for Gambling Harm Awareness Week 2019 on 21st October 2019 at Para Hills Community Hub. The event was attended by a number of volunteers, service providers and community members.

Big Fish

The “Big Fish” Animation is a short animation designed to help those experiencing harm from gambling (whether through their own or someone else’s gambling) to understand how people arrive at developing gambling difficulties and approach the subject with increased levels of (self-) compassion.

The Big Fish was created in 2018 and has been translated into 12 different languages; Farsi, French, Khmer, Punjabi, Pushtu, Urdu, Hindi, Swahili, Arabic, Dari, Pilipino and Greek.

Winning?

The “Winning?” animation was developed to alert young people to the dangers of online sports betting. It aims to increase awareness in those who might themselves be affected by harmful online gambling as well as their peers. It provides information on assistance available with this issue.

An Education Pack was developed to enable educators and others who work with young people to run a series of very short and engaging session on the subject. It comprises information for educators as well as all resources required to start some important conversations that will ultimately keep young people safer. Download here.

Gambling Harm Awareness 2020 ran from Monday 26 October 2020 to Sunday 29 November 2020.

The rise of smartphone gambling apps and online gaming are game changers. Relationships Australia South Australia focused its Gambling Harm Awareness 2020 efforts on how to reduce online gambling harm.

The series of events called ‘Step Up and Reach Out’ was tailored to meet the needs of young people, parents, teachers, other professionals and multicultural communities. To view our recorded webinars & related resources developed during Gambling Harm Awareness 2020 please head to the GHA20 hub.

If you’re finding it hard to manage your gambling or gaming Relationships Australia South Australia is here to support you. Contact us here.

Visit the hub at https://gamblinghelpsa.org.au/gambling-harm-awareness-2020/

Visit Contact Us for all our locations, contact information and opening hours.