Abstracts
Abstract
We report on a collaborative qualitative study to identify gambling expenditure trajectories associated with COVID-19 restrictions on in-venue gambling for people in a regional First Nations Community in Victoria, Australia. Drawing from interviews with 20 First Nations people and seven workers, we use three people’s stories to illustrate experiences associated with: reduced gambling expenditure; little change in gambling expenditure; and increased gambling expenditure. Across each trajectory, many participants took up or increased online gambling during restrictions. The largest proportion returned to pre-COVID-19 gambling expenditure once restrictions eased. Some took the opportunity of a forced break from in-venue gambling to reassess its role in their lives, and a further small proportion spent more money on gambling after the pandemic than prior to it. We highlight the importance of Community in participants’ capacities to manage gambling during this period. Participants described the presence of Community members at in-venue gambling as limiting their spending, something that became unavailable when gambling online at home during lockdowns. Willpower was identified as most participants’ preferred means of managing gambling. This worked for some, but others noted that the ubiquity of online gambling products and ongoing effects of trauma and disadvantage stymied their efforts. As some participants insisted, the gambling industry and governments that are its beneficiaries perpetuate colonization by extracting money from First Nations peoples, with gambling harm attributed to Indigeneity rather than poverty resulting from colonization and dispossession. Thus, First Nations Communities and individuals are held responsible for problems that are largely not of their making.
Keywords:
- Recovery,
- resilience,
- gambler,
- Aboriginal Australians
Download the article in PDF to read it.
Download
Appendices
Biographical notes
Sarah MacLean’s ancestors were uninvited settlers in Australia. Her research explores practices that are both legal and dependency forming. She has published extensively on alcohol and inhalant use, and in recent years, also on gambling. Currently, she is employed as Professor in the Discipline of Social Work and Social Policy at La Trobe University, where she is also affiliated with the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research. During 2019–2022, she was joint Editor-in-Chief of Health Sociology Review.
Anastasia Kanjere is a white settler researcher in the fields of critical race studies, critical whiteness studies, and media studies. She was employed as a research officer on this project. She is now completing a degree in Education.
Tiffany Griffin is a proud Yamatji woman, with ancestors from Wajarri and Wattandee tribes of the northwest of Western Australia. Tiffany is the Team Leader of the Intense Social and Emotional Wellbeing Support team. She is also studying Social Work at La Trobe University in Mildura. Tiffany has worked at MDAS for the past 8 years and loves working in the mental health and addiction space. She is very passionate about social change and supporting Indigenous people along their healing journey.
Jai Portelli is a proud Aboriginal man who was employed as the Gamblers’ Awareness Support Worker at MDAS during the period when we conducted this project. He conducted research interviews for this project and advised on cultural matters.
Gabriel Caluzzi is a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe University and University of New South Wales. His PhD was a qualitative exploration of the social conditions and cultural meanings of light and non-drinking practices in a sample of young Australians. His work aims to understand how drug and alcohol practices among young people are informed by sociocultural context.
Michael Savic is a Senior Research Fellow in Addiction Studies at the Eastern Health Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences, and he is Strategic Lead of Clinical and Social Research at Turning Point, Eastern Health. Michael’s research focuses on the social and cultural contexts of alcohol and other drug use, addiction concepts, treatment, and experiences of intervention implementation and care across several mediums. His research is multi-disciplinary in orientation, policy and practice relevant, and often draws on critical approaches and qualitative methods. Michael is a co-convener of the Victorian Substance Use Research Forum, an Associate Editor at the International Journal of Drug Policy, and a Deputy Editor at Drug and Alcohol Review.
Amy Pennay is a Senior Research Fellow and the Deputy Director of the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research (CAPR) at La Trobe University. Within CAPR, she is the Strategic Lead of the Intersections of Drinking Cultures, Health, and Policy program. She is Co-Editor in Chief of Drugs: Education, Prevention, and Policy.
Bibliography
- Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of New South Wales (AH&MRC). (2008, May). Pressing problems: Gambling issues and responses for NSW Aboriginal communities [Community report]. AH&MRC. http://esvc000239.bne001tu.server-web.com/Downloads/Publication/AHMRC%20Pressing%20Problems%20Community%20Reportcolor.pdf
- Armstrong, A. R., Thomas, A., & Abbott, M. (2018). Gambling participation, expenditure and risk of harm in Australia, 1997–1998 and 2010–2011. Journal of Gambling Studies, 34(1), 255–274. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-017-9708-0
- Australian Communications and Media Authority. (2022, February). Online gambling in Australia: Findings from the 2021 ACMA annual consumer survey. Commonwealth of Australia. https://www.acma.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-02/Online%20gambling%20in%20Australia.pdf
- Brodeur, M., Audette-Chapdelaine, S., Savard, A.-C., & Kairouz, S. (2021). Gambling and the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 111, 110389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2021.110389
- Bryant, J., Bolt, R., Botfield, J. R., Martin, K., Doyle, M., Murphy, D., Graham, S., Newman, C. E., Bell, S., Treloar, C., Browne, A. J., & Aggleton, P. (2021). Beyond deficit: ‘Strengths‐based approaches’ in Indigenous health research. Sociology of Health & Illness, 43(6), 1405–1421. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.13311
- Campbell, M. A., Hunt, J., Scrimgeour, D. J., Davey, M., & Jones, V. (2018). Contribution of Aboriginal community-controlled health services to improving Aboriginal health: An evidence review. Australian Health Review, 42(2), 218–226. https://doi.org/10.1071/ah16149
- Delfabbro, P. H. (2012). Australasian gambling review (June 2011) (5th ed., covering 1992–2011). Independent Gambling Authority of Australia. https://www.cbs.sa.gov.au/documents/australasian-gambling-review-5th-edn-web5810.pdf
- Finlay, S., & Wenitong, M. (2020). Aboriginal community controlled health organisations are taking a leading role in COVID‐19 health communication. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 44(4), 251–252. https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.13010
- Fluharty, M., Paul, E., & Fancourt, D. (2022). Predictors and patterns of gambling behaviour across the COVID-19 lockdown: Findings from a UK cohort study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 298(Part A), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.10.117
- Gale, F., & Bolzan, N. (2013). Social resilience: Challenging neo-colonial thinking and practices around “risk.” Journal of Youth Studies, 16(2), 257–271. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2012.704985
- Gee, G., Hulbert, C., Kennedy, H., & Paradies, Y. (2023). Cultural determinants and resilience and recovery factors associated with trauma among Aboriginal help-seeking clients from an Aboriginal community-controlled counselling service. BMC Psychiatry, 23(1), 155. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-04567-5
- Gupta, H., Tari-Keresztes, N., Aanundsen, D., & Stevens, M. (2021, August). A qualitative investigation of Aboriginal gambling behaviour, consequences, risk factors, and help-seeking in the Northern Territory. Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University. https://dth.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/1137648/a-qualitative-investigation-of-Aboriginal-gambling-behaviour-consequences-risk-factors-and-help-seeking-ntpdf.pdf
- Hagen, B., Kalishuk, R. G., Currie, C., Solowoniuk, J., & Nixon, G. (2013). A big hole with the wind blowing through it: Aboriginal women’s experiences of trauma and problem gambling. International Gambling Studies, 13(3), 356–370. https://doi.org/10.1080/14459795.2013.819934
- Håkansson, A., & Widinghoff, C. (2021). Changes of gambling patterns during COVID-19 in Sweden, and potential for preventive policy changes. A second look nine months into the pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(5), 2342. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052342
- Hare, S. (2015, November). Study of gambling and health in Victoria: Findings from the Victorian Prevalence Study 2014. The Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation and Victorian Department of Justice and Regulation. https://responsiblegambling.vic.gov.au/resources/publications/study-of-gambling-and-health-in-victoria-findings-from-the-victorian-prevalence-study-2014-72
- Hing, N., Breen, H., Gordon, A., & Russell, A. (2014). The gambling behavior of Indigenous Australians. Journal of Gambling Studies, 30(2), 369–386. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-013-9358-9
- Hing, N., Cherney, L., Gainsbury, S. M., Lubman, D. I., Wood, R. T., & Blaszczynski, A. (2015). Maintaining and losing control during internet gambling: A qualitative study of gamblers’ experiences. New Media & Society, 17(7), 1075–1095. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444814521140
- Hing, N., Russell, A. M. T., Gainsbury, S. M., & Blaszczynski, A. (2015). Characteristics and help-seeking behaviors of Internet gamblers based on most problematic mode of gambling. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 17(1), e13. https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.3781
- Hing, N., Smith, M., Rockloff, M., Thorne, H., Russell, A. M. T., Dowling, N. A., & Breen, H. (2022). How structural changes in online gambling are shaping the contemporary experiences and behaviours of online gamblers: An interview study. BMC Public Health, 22, 1620. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14019-6
- Hodgins, D. C., Stea, J. N., & Grant, J. E. (2011). Gambling disorders. The Lancet, 378(9806), 1874–1884. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(10)62185-X
- Holdsworth, L., Breen, H., Hing, N., & Gordon, A. (2013). One size doesn’t fit all: Experiences of family members of Indigenous gamblers. Australian Aboriginal Studies, 1, 73–84. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.423194599231114
- Imperatori, C., Innamorati, M., Bersani, F. S., Imbimbo, F., Pompili, M., Contardi, A., & Farina, B. (2017). The association among childhood trauma, pathological dissociation and gambling severity in casino gamblers. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 24(1), 203–211. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.1997
- Jenkinson, R., Sakata, K., Khokhar, T., Tajin, R., & Jatkar, U. (2020, October). Gambling in Australia during COVID‑19 [Research summary]. Australian Gambling Research Centre, Commonwealth of Australia. https://aifs.gov.au/sites/default/files/publication-documents/2009_gambling_in_australia_during_covid-19_0.pdf
- Jurisic, N. (2011, July 1). Development of culturally appropriate problem gambling services for Indigenous communities [Occasional paper no. 40]. Cultural & Indigenous Research Centre Australia, Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2125556
- Kausch, O., Rugle, L., & Rowland, D. Y. (2006). Lifetime histories of trauma among pathological gamblers. The American Journal on Addictions, 15(1), 35–43. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1080/10550490500419045
- Keane, H. (2019). Rethinking stigma and gambling. Critical Gambling Studies Blog. https://doi.org/10.29173/cgs13
- Livingstone, C., & Adams, P. (2011). Observations on the symbiosis between government and private industries for the development of highly accessible gambling markets [Comment / Reply]. Addiction, 106(1), 13–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010.03315.x
- MacLean, S., Maltzahn, K., Thomas, D., Atkinson, A., & Whiteside, M. (2019). Gambling in two regional Australian Aboriginal communities: A social practice analysis. Journal of Gambling Studies, 35(4), 1331–1345. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-019-09858-9
- Maltzahn, K., Whiteside, M., Thompson, A., Kirirura, J., Cox, J., Lee, H., & MacLean, S. (2020, April). Lucky for some: Bingo in Victoria [Research report]. Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation. https://responsiblegambling.vic.gov.au/resources/publications/lucky-for-some-bingo-in-victoria-975
- McMillen, J., & Donnelly, K. (2008). Gambling in Australian Indigenous communities: The state of play. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 43(3), 397–426. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1839-4655.2008.tb00110.x
- National Health and Medical Research Council. (2018, August). Ethical conduct in research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and Communities: Guidelines for researchers and stakeholders. Commonwealth of Australia https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/resources/ethical-conduct-research-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples-and-communities
- Nicoll, F. (2018). Beyond the figure of the problem gambler: Locating race and sovereignty struggles in everyday cultural spaces of gambling. Journal of Law and Social Policy, 30, 127–149. https://doi.org/10.60082/0829-3929.1325
- Pyett, P. (2002). Working together to reduce health inequalities: Reflections on a collaborative participatory approach to health research. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 26(4), 332–336. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-842X.2002.tb00180.x
- Ravn, S. (2019). Imagining futures, imagining selves: A narrative approach to ‘risk’ in young men’s lives. Current Sociology, 67(7), 1039–1055. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011392119857453
- Rintoul, A. C., Livingstone, C., Mellor, A. P., & Jolley, D. (2013). Modelling vulnerability to gambling related harm: How disadvantage predicts gambling losses. Addiction Research & Theory, 21(4), 329–338. https://doi.org/10.3109/16066359.2012.727507
- Saunders, P., & Doyle, K. (2021). Gambling interventions in Indigenous communities, from theory to practice: A rapid qualitative review of the literature. Journal of Gambling Studies, 37(3), 947–982. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-021-10019-0
- Savic, M., & Bathish, R. (2020). Rethinking agency, strengths, and change in desistance and recovery: An actor-network approach. In D. Best & C. Colman (Eds.), Strengths-based approaches to crime and substance use: From drugs and crime to desistance and recovery (pp. 105–122). Routledge.
- Strohäker, T., & Becker, T. (2018). The relationship between exclusions from gambling arcades and accessibility: Evidence from a newly introduced exclusion program in Hesse, Germany. Journal of Gambling Studies, 34(3), 1033–1047. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-018-9762-2
- Törrönen, J., Samuelsson, E., Roumeliotis, F., & Månsson, J. (2021). Negotiating emerging adulthood with master and counter narratives: Alcohol-related identity trajectories among emerging adults in performance-oriented neoliberal society. Journal of Adolescent Research, 39(3), 796–821. https://doi.org/10.1177/07435584211052986
- Usher, K., Jackson, D., Walker, R., Durkin, J., Smallwood, R., Robinson, M., Sampson, U. N., Adams, I., Porter, C., & Marriott, R. (2021). Indigenous resilience in Australia: A scoping review using a reflective decolonizing collective dialogue. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 630601. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.630601
- Willis, K. (2013). Analysing qualitative data. In M. Walter (Ed.), Social research methods (3rd ed., pp. 315–336). Oxford University Press.