Giving the gamblers a voice: the perceived efficacy of responsible gambling practices in NSW clubs

This paper analyses qualitative data gathered from 339 patrons of ten NSW clubs via a survey assessing their perceived efficacy of venue-based responsible gambling measures. Analysis of over 25,000 words of ‘additional comments’ from these patrons yielded 541 comments, subsequently grouped into 17 themes and 56 sub-themes. Each is summarised, drawing heavily on the respondents’ verbatim comments to convey the sentiments and emotions expressed. As such, this paper gives a voice to one important, but often overlooked, stakeholder group in the gambling debate – the gamblers themselves. Most respondents were critical of governments and gambling venues in their focus on gambling, of some ineffective responsible gambling measures, of venue enticements to gamble, and of many aspects of poker machine design. While considerable concern about problem gambling was expressed, a sizeable minority felt that responsible gambling starts with the individual. However, most respondents considered that much more could be done by gambling venues and governments to encourage responsible gambling.