“Grooming” future gamblers: Eastern Melbourne counsellor says we have to stop selling betting as exciting

Each gambling counsellor Kevin Chan says helping people resist the urge to gamble is only part of the solution — governments also need to act to stop the growing normalisation of gambling culture.

Chan said it was “heartbreaking” to hear clients — from 20-year-olds on sports betting apps to retirees spending their pensions on pokies — talk about feeling suicidal.

“It breaks the whole family apart,” he said. “I can support a client, I can support a family, but more and more people are being harmed by our environment.”

Gaming as a gateway: Chan joined Each’s Inner East Gambler’s Help team in 2019, bringing a background in psychology, sociology and his own lived experience of addiction — not to gambling, but to gaming.

“I felt stressed when I was away from gaming,” he said. “It was my coping mechanism.”

A fun facade: Chan said today’s gambling apps, such as those produced by the TAB and Ladbrokes, are becoming more interactive and “gamified”, designed to hook younger users.

“We’ve been grooming generations to think gambling is part of life and is normal to do, but they were never given the tools … to understand … even the value of money,” he said.

Chan said the rise of social media influencers such as MrBeast and Logan Paul, who promote wealth and winning, fuelled the idea that chasing dopamine hits is normal.

“We’re just prone to these new stimulations — we enjoy them and we keep asking for more,” he said.

Early education: While services like Each play a key role in supporting individuals, Chan said governments must do more to teach children early about gambling harms.

“It doesn’t look like there are a lot of government initiatives yet,” he said. “As parents and community members, can we find ways to educate ourselves?”

A safe place: Chan said RSLs, pubs and clubs are often seen as a refuge for people escaping family violence.

A 2024 Australian Gambling Research Centre study found 19 percent of people whose partner gambled weekly or more reported experiences of intimate partner violence, compared to seven percent of people whose partners did not gamble.

A 2020 Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety study found 16 per cent of women affected by intimate partner violence had used gambling venues to escape violence at home.

If you or someone you know needs help, call 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), Gambler’s Help (1800 858 858), SuicideLine Victoria (1300 651 251) or Lifeline (13 11 14).