20 October, 2023
Who: Charles Darwin University psychology expert Dr Kim Caudwell. Dr Caudwell is a founding member and current Chair of Researchers in Behavioural Addictions, Alcohol and Drugs (BAAD).
Topics:
- The findings of the Gambling advertising in Australia: placement and spending report by Nielsen’s Ad Intel.
- Gambling, alcohol, and tobacco addiction.
- The 2023 Northern Territory Gambling Prevalence and Wellbeing Survey.
Contact details: Call +61 8 8946 6043 or email media@cdu.edu.au to arrange an interview.
Quotes attributable to Dr Caudwell:
“The findings ($238.63m spent on gambling ads between May 2022 and April 2023) are concerning but not surprising. The parliamentary committee investigation has involved a lot of discussion about advertising and gambling risk, and there is a perception that industry is eager to spend before that happens. The online space is also seeing intense, sustained growth, and the high market value has led to an explosion of new betting apps and platforms - there is a lot of competition for users”
“Momentum for regulations is building. We have seen cigarette ads phased out and continued focus on alcohol advertising, and we will see it in the gambling space. Problem gambling is a public health issue and at some point, we need figure out what we’re going to do to manage it better.”
On the 2023 Northern Territory Gambling Prevalence and Wellbeing Survey conducted by Dr Caudwell and Dr Mal Flack:
“Large-scale surveys like this are conducted periodically around Australia to generate a ‘snapshot in time’ of how the community is experiencing gambling and the effectiveness of regulation,” Dr Caudwell said.
“We need this information to be able to better understand problem gambling, support vulnerable people, and to inform stakeholders in how they can manage this.”
“In 2018 the Northern Territory had the highest rates of problem gambling in Australia, and it was a significant increase from 2015, largely attributed to EGMs or pokies.”
“Australia has almost 3% of the world’s machines, and the NT has the second highest availability of machines to people in the country.”
“EGMs are always a focus in these surveys, but we are also concerned about how the online gambling space has impacted problem gambling since 2018.”
Contact details:
Raphaella Saroukos she/her
Communications Officer
Marketing, Media & Communications
Larrakia Country
T: +61 8 8946 6721
E: media@cdu.edu.au
W: cdu.edu.au
