Forbes Services Club will be part of a region-wide trial by Clubs NSW to tackle problem gambling, which asks gamblers to exclude themselves from all clubs in their vicinity.
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The trial is part of a multi-pronged strategy to address problem gambling discussed at a zone meeting of Clubs NSW in Forbes last weekend.
Clubs from Forbes, Parkes, Orange, Bathurst, Dubbo, Oberon and Wellington were among those represented at the meeting, which was also attended by Clubs NSW Chairman, Peter Newell, and CEO, Anthony Ball.
Mr Newell said a new web-based multi-venue exclusion program had been trialled at clubs on the state’s Central Coast, and would soon be rolled out in clubs in the Central West.
“This will offer people the opportunity, in consultation with a counsellor which I think is important, to exclude themselves from any number of venues, on a web-based system, in one hit,” Mr Newell said.
“It has been trialled in the Gosford area recently and is now being rolled out across the state. The Central West will be the next cab off the rank to have this system available,” he said.
Mr Newell said the trial may be introduced in this region by late June / early July.
The Clubs NSW Chairman said the trial would also be supported by a new marketing campaign by clubs to highlight other means to tackle problem gambling.
Mr Newell said the multi media campaign will aim to dispel myths that clubs do not offer any assistance to gamblers.
“It will emphasise what clubs have done and will continue to do to address problem gambling and just reiterate what [clubs] are doing in regard to caring for people who can’t resist the urge to gamble to the extent that it gets them into trouble,” he said.
Mr Newell said he thought there was a perception that clubs did not offer any assistance.
“I think there is ignorance there in some areas, and it is mainly from people who aren’t close to the issue. We just want to address that,” he said.
Mr Newell said clubs already have a ‘no credit’ policy in place to prevent gamblers paying for a game with credit cards and have other programs in place like a 24 hour gambling counselling service, harm minimisation strategies and in some cases, club chaplains.
The problem gambling awareness campaign is set to begin on June 17.
Mr Newell said other issues were discussed at the Clubs NSW meeting last Sunday, including corporate governance requirements on club directors, an anti-bullying trial which has been introduced in the state’s south and support for clubs on workers compensation premiums.
