WITH just the click of a button, problem gamblers living between Taree and the Tweed will be able to use a secure website to ban themselves from their local clubs.
Roll-out of the online technology began this week for the 135 clubs on the Mid and Far North Coasts with training for club staff and local gambling counsellors.
ClubSAFE gambling counsellors held training sessions for club staff at the Grafton District Services Club on Wednesday and at Laurieton United Services Club yesterday.
The new technology allows problem gamblers to complete a legally binding self exclusion document in the presence of a gambling counsellor or a trained facilitator at their local club. Previously the individual had to visit each club individually.
Additionally, the problem gambler can now choose to ban themselves from multiple clubs rather than the time consuming process of visiting each venue and repeating the process.
President of Club Taree, Carl Guy, said ClubsNSW had been working on the improved scheme for some time, but he believed it "got lost" in all the political rhetoric (over mandatory pre-commitment and other reforms) in recent months.
"We believe this online support is a big step forward for both problem gamblers and clubs, as we have said all along that one problem gambler is one too many.
"The online self exclusion scheme will definitely assist problem gamblers, and anything we can do to assist these people with this addiction must be beneficial."
Mr Guy said he believed a major part of this whole issue has been - and still is - identification, help, and education for the individual.
Under the new scheme, problem gamblers are provided with the following self-exclusion options:
o banning from the club
o banning from any area of the club with poker machines
o banning from any area of the club where gambling takes place such as poker machines, Keno and ClubTAB.
Development of the multi-venue self exclusion system will be expanded across the State over the next 12 months and comes after 18 months development by ClubsNSW.
The rollout of the program follows a six month trial of the online system in clubs in Broken Hill and the Central Coast. The respective trials were overseen by counsellors employed by Lifeline and UnitingCare Unifam.
The online system - the first of its kind in Australia - will be provided to North Coast clubs and gambling counsellors to assist their clients free of charge.
ClubsNSW CEO Anthony Ball said self exclusion in combination with counselling is the best way of helping problem gamblers beat their addiction.
"During the six month trial 136 problem gamblers chose to ban themselves from a combined 569 clubs in Broken Hill and the Central Coast," he said.
Under the previous system, it could have taken weeks or even months for a problem gambler to visit each of those clubs and inform the staff they wanted to be banned.
"Self exclusion was introduced by clubs and hotels in NSW in 2000, with an estimated 3000 people opting to ban themselves from a club or hotel each year. Clubs and hotels are subject to significant financial penalties if they knowingly allow a person to breach their self-exclusion.
"For some people, the time, effort and emotional investment needed to make multiple visits to a club is overwhelming or just too difficult to go through with.
"This scheme eliminates those barriers, and also provides an option for problem gamblers to avoid gaming venues altogether by completing the procedure at the office of a certified gambling counsellor.
"Previous studies have indicated that 90 per cent of problem gamblers would prefer to self-ban from multiple venues in one go. This technology allows that to occur as well providing them with the choice of deciding if they want the counsellor to notify nominated family of their gambling addiction," Mr Ball said.
Laurieton United Services Club secretary manager Robert Dwyer said in his experience, the scheme had proved successful for many former problem gamblers over the years.
"We have several people whose self-exclusion period has expired, and they've continued to abstain from gambling altogether," he said.
"This new system will not only improve the self-exclusion for problem gamblers, it will make the process much easier for club staff and local counsellors.
"The opportunity for counsellors to be able to take a problem gambler through the self-exclusion process right in their own counselling rooms is another exciting development, one that I'm sure local counsellors will welcome.
"Counsellors will also be notified through the system if one of their clients breaches the ban."
ClubSAFE manager and gambling counsellor Rowan Cameron said that although self-exclusion is by no means a miracle cure-all for problem gamblers, it's a highly effective tool providing a disincentive to re-enter the gaming environment, especially when utilised in conjunction with individual counselling.
Training in the use of the technology for the State's almost 250 government-funded gambling counsellors has begun.
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