A University of Queensland researcher is calling on the State Government to come up with a new approach to supporting problem gamblers from ethnic communities in Queensland.
Ms Sue Scull, from UQ’s Community Service and Research Centre based at Ipswich, said a study she just completed showed more targeted services were needed to help tackle problem gambling for people from non-English speaking background (NESB) communities.
Ms Scull said while this particular problem had been researched in other states, Queensland was yet to tackle the issue.
“I think it has been difficult due to the relatively small size of Queensland communities, compared to those in New South Wales or Victoria,” Ms Scull said.
“However, the research remains important, as people still need access to appropriate support services.”
The report, titled Problem Gambling within non-English speaking background (NESB) communities in Queensland: A Pilot Study, was funded by Queensland Treasury and looked at the underlying reasons why people from NESB communities are not seeking assistance for problems with gambling.
She said the research showed that, contrary to some stereotypes, there was no evidence to suggest the prevalence of problem gambling in NESB communities was any different to the general Queensland population.
Similarly, nearly half of Chinese and Vietnamese community members who participated in the prevalence study reported no gambling at all during the last 12 months, compared to just over 15% of the general Queensland population.
Yet work was still needed to meet the needs of those who do experience problems as the research has shown there is great reluctance for people to discuss problem gambling.
“Gambling is an extremely sensitive issue, particularly in these communities, and there is much shame and stigma attached to people who experience gambling problems,” Ms Scull said.
“As a result, people are not talking about it for fear of losing face.”
She said feedback from people involved in the research showed one of the big barriers to seeking help was the lack of appropriate services, in particular with language and cultural barriers.
“The lack of appropriate services has already prompted the Queensland Chapter of the Vietnamese Community of Australia to decide to produce community education material in Vietnamese,” Ms Scull said.
“One of the major recommendations from the study is the need for Queensland Government and existing gambling help services to direct more resources towards assisting NESB problem gamblers and their family members.
“Both in terms of developing culturally appropriate information in relevant languages and by providing a more culturally appropriate service.”
Media: For more information contact Sue Scull (telephone 3381 1908) or Andrew Dunne at UQ Communications (telephone 3365 2802).
