Financial counselling addresses gambling harm
October 1, 2025
Anglicare’s team of professional financial counsellors provides free and confidential support to Tasmanians in financial hardship as a result of gambling.
The hardship may result from a person’s own gambling, or that of someone close to them.
“We walk alongside people to manage their debts, negotiate with creditors and rebuild financial stability,” explains Program Manager Financial Resilience and Wellbeing Carol Giizel.
Financial counselling is all about helping people take back control. We see the toll gambling takes on Tasmanian families, but we also see the strength and hope that come when people reach out for support.
Focusing on recovery – a client story
A client experiencing challenges with gambling came to financial counselling with a debt of around $18,000. They knew that gambling was contributing to this situation because they had already taken out a ‘self-exclusion’ order. Our counsellor was able to get one debt fully waived, and two others were reduced. This made their situation much more manageable. The client is now steadily repaying the remaining balance and said that having the weight of overwhelming debt lifted has given them the space to focus on recovery.
A service backed by research
The support services offered by Anglicare are backed by research from its Social Action and Research Centre (SARC) about the ripple effects of gambling harm associated with the use of poker machines.
“We know that these machines are designed to drive addiction and that it’s all too easy for people to spend more than they intend, and more than they can afford,” says SARC coordinator, economist Mary Bennett.
“Our report from 2022, What’s the real cost? showed the wide range of social and economic impacts that this can have. They radiate out from the person who gambles. The emotional and financial stress affects their personal and professional relationships, physical and mental health and parenting styles. Children miss out on the essentials they need, sometimes including enough food on the table. There are detrimental consequences that last a lifetime and into future generations, for both individuals and entire communities,” Mary said.
A policy brief released in December 2024 estimated that in the 12 months prior:
- 15,400 Tasmanians who used electronic gaming machines (EGMs) were at risk of gambling harm;
- 16,300 Tasmanians, including children, experienced direct harm as a result of somebody’s EGM gambling; and
- this equated to more than 31,000 people in total experiencing harm.
Mary said that while Anglicare remains convinced that the introduction of a universal poker machine card would be the most effective tool in breaking the cycle of gambling harm, any measures that give poker machine users more control over their play were welcome.
These include confining EGMs to casinos, shorter opening hours for venues, limiting bet sizes and introducing slower spin speeds and mandatory breaks in play.
How do I contact a financial counsellor?
The best way to contact Anglicare’s financial counselling service is to ring the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007. This will put you through to one of our team members here in Tasmania. Their advice is free, non-judgemental and confidential. They will work with you to get your finances back on track.
Find out all about Anglicare’s financial counselling service here.
If you feel you could benefit from additional support to manage your gambling, your financial counsellor can refer you to the Gamblers Help service that is also run by Anglicare.
