harm reduction strategies

Gambling Harm

Reduction Strategies

What is gambling?

It has been defined as.........

a conscious, deliberate effort to stake valuables, usually but not always currency, on how some event happens to turn out

A little history lesson

● Long ago gambling had religious and ceremonial functions

● Later gambling became a recreational activity played among individuals

● Most recently, gambling has become a business

● Canadians lost $14 billion to gambling in 2008

The Strategies

Harm reduction strategies include....● setting limits on the amount of money spent

by not bringing money access cards to the gambling venue (e.g., credit cards, atm cards)

● paying attention to physical needs while gambling (e.g., taking a break from the gambling activity, using the washroom facilities, eating, stretching)

The Strategies Continuedor......

● only gambling with designated money, and not dipping into money allocated for other specified expenses (e.g., rent, mortgage, food, clothing, tuition, car payments, utilities, etc.)

● negotiating with a partner (or other family member) to designate specific agreed-upon times for gambling

Our focus

● setting limits on the amount of money spent by not bringing money access cards to the gambling venue (e.g., credit cards, atm cards)

● The can be combined with setting limits on how much cash one has on them while gambling.

The idea

● Research has shown that this is an extremely viable harm reduction strategy as people have more control over the gambling while they are not physically in the act of gambling. It's similar to not having much alcohol around an alcoholic.

● http://www.gamblingresearch.org/synopses/details.php?id=390

Now a little Q&A!

Question 1

● Long ago gambling had 2 functions. What were they?

Religious and ceremonial

Question 2

● Most recently, gambling has become a _______.

Business

Question 3

● How much money did Canadians lose to gambling in 2004?

$14 billion

Question 4

● Which harm reduction strategy did I focus on?

● setting limits on the amount of money spent by not bringing money access cards to the gambling venue (e.g., credit cards, atm cards)

Question 5

● What strategy can this be combined with?

Setting limits on how much cash one brings with them while gambling.

Thank you!

Any questions?