Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand
Encyclopedia
The Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand (PGF) is a national non-profit organisation in New Zealand
predominantly funded by the Ministry of Health with funds received from the gambling
levy.
PGF is the largest single treatment provider for problem gambling in Australasia
with over 60 locations throughout New Zealand and a staff of 70. Qualified counsellors provide free, professional and confidential counselling services for both gamblers and others affected by gambling and a dedicated Public Health team works on problem gambling issues in the community using a health promotion
approach.
PGF's Asian Family Services provide professional counselling and advice in Cantonese
, Mandarin, Korean
, Vietnamese
, Khmer
and Thai
.
The PGF began as the Compulsive Gambling Society (CGS) in 1988 with funding from the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board
. The psychiatrist Fraser McDonald helped three men who were experiencing problems with gambling establish the CGS because at that time there were no services available to work with gambling problems. CGS started out as a telephone service with the first national hotline of its type internationally commencing operations in 1992. As the need grew, services expanded to include face-to-face services and a second clinic was opened in Manurewa
in 1993.
In 2001 The PGF succeeded the CGS, moving away from an addictions and medical-based philosophy to a public health approach.
The Foundation is committed to health promotion
that contributes to safer gambling practices through community education and the development of regulations and standards. Counselling is free of charge to the gambler, their family and others affected by problem gambling.
PGF believes in:
Informing Change: By building a knowledge centre and disseminating information, individuals, communities and other service providers can work together to change the gambling environment in which we live.
Changing Lives: We provide a free, professional and confidential, quality counselling service for individuals, families and others affected by problem gambling. This service has focused on individual face-to-face counselling, enhanced by support groups. Although PGF services are free, donations are always greatly appreciated to support us in our mission to be free from gambling harm.
Changing Communities: Our Public Health team is the first dedicated team to work on problem gambling issues using a health promotion approach. They work collaboratively to raise awareness and promote healthy responses to gambling. Our Asian Family Service team works holistically with Asian communities to strengthen their resilience to problem gambling as does our Mapu Maia team for Pasifika clients.
Changing Environments: PGF supports the development of an effective and caring public health policy for the maintenance and regulation of gambling in New Zealand through advocacy and social justice.
According to the Ministry of Health, electronic gaming machines (pokies) are the most harmful form of gambling as over 78% of problem gamblers use them as their primary mode of gambling. Because pokie machine venues are located disproportionately within low-income communities, these communities are exceptionally impacted by the harms of problem gambling.
Community perception of problem gambling and pokies
Community perception studies undertaken by some territorial authorities indicate that communities generally hold negative views on gambling, with specific concerns that communities are being seriously damaged by the growth of the gambling industry. It has also been found that a majority of the public (64%) not only believe pokie machines are socially undesirable but are also in favour of maintaining or reducing existing venue and pokie machine numbers.
As of late 2010, fourteen councils now have adopted a “sinking lid” policy, a district-wide cap that is below their existing number of venues and machines.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
predominantly funded by the Ministry of Health with funds received from the gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
levy.
PGF is the largest single treatment provider for problem gambling in Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
with over 60 locations throughout New Zealand and a staff of 70. Qualified counsellors provide free, professional and confidential counselling services for both gamblers and others affected by gambling and a dedicated Public Health team works on problem gambling issues in the community using a health promotion
Health promotion
Health promotion has been defined by the World Health Organization's 2005 Bangkok Charter for Health Promotion in a Globalized World as "the process of enabling people to increase control over their health and its determinants, and thereby improve their health"...
approach.
PGF's Asian Family Services provide professional counselling and advice in Cantonese
Cantonese
Cantonese is a dialect spoken primarily in south China.Cantonese may also refer to:* Yue Chinese, the Chinese language that includes Cantonese* Cantonese cuisine, the cuisine of Guangdong province...
, Mandarin, Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
, Vietnamese
Vietnamese language
Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam...
, Khmer
Khmer language
Khmer , or Cambodian, is the language of the Khmer people and the official language of Cambodia. It is the second most widely spoken Austroasiatic language , with speakers in the tens of millions. Khmer has been considerably influenced by Sanskrit and Pali, especially in the royal and religious...
and Thai
Thai language
Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...
.
The PGF began as the Compulsive Gambling Society (CGS) in 1988 with funding from the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board
New Zealand Lottery Grants Board
The New Zealand Lottery Grants Board is a business unit of the Department of Internal Affairs in New Zealand.The New Zealand Lottery Grants Board is governed by the Gambling Act 2003. Its purpose is to benefit the community by distributing the profits from state lotteries run by the New Zealand...
. The psychiatrist Fraser McDonald helped three men who were experiencing problems with gambling establish the CGS because at that time there were no services available to work with gambling problems. CGS started out as a telephone service with the first national hotline of its type internationally commencing operations in 1992. As the need grew, services expanded to include face-to-face services and a second clinic was opened in Manurewa
Manurewa
Manurewa is the southernmost major suburb of Manukau City, one of the four cities that make up the metropolitan area of Auckland in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 6km south of the Manukau City Centre, and 26km southeast of the Auckland CBD....
in 1993.
In 2001 The PGF succeeded the CGS, moving away from an addictions and medical-based philosophy to a public health approach.
PGF mission statement
The Problem Gambling Foundation's mission is building healthy communities together, free from gambling harm.The Foundation is committed to health promotion
Health promotion
Health promotion has been defined by the World Health Organization's 2005 Bangkok Charter for Health Promotion in a Globalized World as "the process of enabling people to increase control over their health and its determinants, and thereby improve their health"...
that contributes to safer gambling practices through community education and the development of regulations and standards. Counselling is free of charge to the gambler, their family and others affected by problem gambling.
PGF believes in:
Informing Change: By building a knowledge centre and disseminating information, individuals, communities and other service providers can work together to change the gambling environment in which we live.
Changing Lives: We provide a free, professional and confidential, quality counselling service for individuals, families and others affected by problem gambling. This service has focused on individual face-to-face counselling, enhanced by support groups. Although PGF services are free, donations are always greatly appreciated to support us in our mission to be free from gambling harm.
Changing Communities: Our Public Health team is the first dedicated team to work on problem gambling issues using a health promotion approach. They work collaboratively to raise awareness and promote healthy responses to gambling. Our Asian Family Service team works holistically with Asian communities to strengthen their resilience to problem gambling as does our Mapu Maia team for Pasifika clients.
Changing Environments: PGF supports the development of an effective and caring public health policy for the maintenance and regulation of gambling in New Zealand through advocacy and social justice.
Problem gambling in New Zealand
An estimated 1% - 3% of the adult population are problem gamblers. Because a problem gambler can affect the lives of between 7 and 17 other people, there could be up to 500,000 people who are affected by problem gambling in New Zealand. Thus, nearly half a million people may be impacted by the harms of problem gambling, such as financial ruin, relationship breakdown, domestic violence, criminal activity, depression and suicide.According to the Ministry of Health, electronic gaming machines (pokies) are the most harmful form of gambling as over 78% of problem gamblers use them as their primary mode of gambling. Because pokie machine venues are located disproportionately within low-income communities, these communities are exceptionally impacted by the harms of problem gambling.
Community perception of problem gambling and pokies
Community perception studies undertaken by some territorial authorities indicate that communities generally hold negative views on gambling, with specific concerns that communities are being seriously damaged by the growth of the gambling industry. It has also been found that a majority of the public (64%) not only believe pokie machines are socially undesirable but are also in favour of maintaining or reducing existing venue and pokie machine numbers.
As of late 2010, fourteen councils now have adopted a “sinking lid” policy, a district-wide cap that is below their existing number of venues and machines.