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Responsible Gambling Fund

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The Responsible Gambling Fund, part of the NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing, aims to support and fund activities focused on the reduction of harm caused by problem gambling within NSW communities. Funding for the organisation is taken from a levy placed on the operations of the Sydney Star City Casino.

Contents

Foundation and funding

The Casino Control Act 1992 imposed an annual levy on the Star City Casino, which was to be managed by the Responsible Gambling Fund for the provision of services, activities and research aimed at reducing the harm of problem gambling in NSW. The levy extracts 2% of gaming revenue from the Star City Casino, which is approximately 12 million a year.

Primary activities

The Responsible Gambling Fund carries out its role primarily through the following activities:

  • Funding free counselling services for people with problem gambling issues and their family members.
  • Supporting activities that focus on raising awareness about the impact of problem gambling within the community and the community's ability to deal with this. Also activities that support the free counselling services for problem gamblers and those affected by problem gambling.
  • Research into problem gambling, with the aim of understanding the issue more thoroughly and helping to inform better policy.

    • Funded services and initiatives

    The Responsible Gambling Fund provides finances for free counselling services through a range of agencies such as Wesley Mission, Lifeline, St Vincent De Paul and the Multicultural Problem Gambling Service. It also funds the 24/7 free helpline, The Gambling Helpline and an online service, Gambling Help Online. In 2013 Nathan Hindmarsh, former footballer and reformed gambler, officially launched the free 'Stay on Track' app for the fund. The app, which is available on both iOS and Android devices, provides gamblers with information aimed at helping them recognize problematic gambling behavior, direct links to free counselling services and the Gambling Help website. The Responsible Gambling Fund also promote the Responsible Gambling Awareness Week annually and support services involved in the week's activities.

    Trustees

    The Responsible Gambling Fund has five trustees whose role it is to monitor projects and look at requests for funding. It is the role of the NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing to appoint at least five trustees for a term of four years. The NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing also provide a secretariat for the trustees. The trustees are as follows:

  • Christopher Naughton - current Chairman of the Responsible Gambling Fund Trustees
  • Alan Melrose - currently works for Legal Counsel (Research) at the University of New South Wales.
  • Tony DiMauro - currently the Director Corporate Services, Head of Internal Audit and Chief Risk Officer for Health Infrastructure within the Ministry of Health (New South Wales).
  • Michael Colreavy - currently the Managing Director of a government consultancy firm and the Managing Director of Premier Hearing.
  • Paul Newson - currently the Executive Director of the NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing

    • Campaigns

  • 2014 - "Stronger Than You Think": The Responsible Gambling Fund contracted advertising agency Loud to produce a campaign promoting seeking help for problem gambling as a strength rather than weakness.
  • 2012 - "What's gambling really costing you?": The Responsible Gambling Fund contracted Why Documentaries to produce a campaign for Multicultural Health Communication Services.
  • 2008 - "Gambling Hangover": The Responsible Gambling Fund contracted The Campaign Palace to develop a campaign aimed at males between the ages of 18-24. The campaign focused on the "morning after" experience of a problem gambler.

    • References

    Responsible Gambling Fund Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA