What is gambling harm?
Gambling harm describes any negative consequence or side effect that comes from gambling. It can range in severity from momentary feelings of guilt or regret right through to bankruptcy, broken relationships, mental ill-health or thoughts of suicide.
The most obvious type of gambling harm is financial, but there are many others. These include relationship difficulties, health problems, emotional or psychological distress, issues with work or study, cultural stresses and criminal activity.
Research shows that in Victoria1:
- Approximately 440,000 Victorians or 8.5% were classified as being at some risk of experiencing problem gambling2
- Self-reported satisfaction with life drops as risky gambling behaviour increases.
- Young people aged 18 to 24 are affected by gambling harm at a higher rate than those aged over 65 years.
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Crisis support
If you or someone you know needs support for problems caused by gambling, the following services are available:
- For confidential, free, 24/7 support, call Gambler's Help on 1800 858 .
- If you prefer to chat live with a counsellor online, visit Gambling Help .
- Or visit Gambler’s to find the support that’s right for you.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who need support, call Gambler’s Help on 1800 858 .
- Or contact one of our partner First Nations .
Children and young people
- For anyone under 25-years who needs support, call the Gambler's Help Youthline on 1800 262 376.
- Or visit Gambler’s Help .
Family and friends
- If you are being affected by someone else’s gambling, call Gambler’s Help on 1800 858 858 for free and confidential information, advice and support.
Help in languages other than English
- Call Gambler's Help on 1800 858 858 to arrange a free interpreter to assist you in your preferred language.
- Find out more about in-language .
Broader impacts of gambling harm
Gambling harm is associated with poor health and wellbeing, not only of individuals who gamble, but families, communities, and the broader population. Indeed, research shows that in Victoria over 5% of the Victorian adult population report being personally affected by someone else’s gambling3.
Gambling harm often co-occurs alongside other health-related issues, such as mental ill-health, misuse of alcohol and other drugs, family and relationship conflict or trauma.
For example, 39% of people in Victoria who experience a gambling problem have a diagnosed mental health condition, such as depression, anxiety, alcohol use disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder4.
Social costs of gambling
The social cost of gambling in Victoria in 2022–23 was conservatively estimated at $14.1 billion a year5:
- $5.2 billion: financial impacts, such as higher-than-average spending and bankruptcy
- $3.3 billion: emotional and psychological harm to a person who gambles, for example, depression, suicide attempts and fatalities
- $2.5 billion: relationships and family, for example, divorce or separation, violence and the impact of suicide on affected others
- $1.5 billion: productivity loss and work or study impacts, including impaired performance, job loss, absenteeism
- $1.3 billion: costs to the Victorian and local governments, including the health, mental health and human services systems, policy, regulation, and research costs
- $289.4 million: crime, including costs to corrections, court and police systems
- $3.2 million: costs to non-profit organisations.
Gambling harm prevention and response initiatives
The Gambling Harm Prevention and Response Unit was established at the Department of Health in 2024 following the Victorian Government’s landmark reforms to reduce gambling-related . The Unit continues the important work of the (former) Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation .
This work supports communities to reduce the impact of gambling harm through a coordinated, primary, secondary and tertiary response to gambling harm that links with services for other co-occurring conditions, including mental health.
We fund and work closely with organisations across Victoria to provide free and confidential Gambler’s Help services to people experiencing harm from their own or someone else’s gambling.
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Gambler’s Help is a state-wide gambling support service that delivers prevention, early intervention, and support to people experiencing harm from gambling. Delivered by local community organisations, Gambler's Help provides specialised, integrated services that are professional, free, confidential and available 24/7 for people experiencing harm from their own, or someone else’s gambling.
Gambler’s Help services include:
Read more about Gambler’s .
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The First Nations Gambling Awareness Program provides a mix of financial and therapeutic counselling, traditional healing approaches like yarning circles, and community awareness raising.
The program is a collaboration between five Aboriginal organisations and the Department of Health. The collaboration ensures the program is First Nations led and culturally safe.
Read more about First Nations Gambling Awareness .
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The Multicultural Gambler’s Help program provides culturally responsive counselling and community support for Victorians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The program is delivered primarily in Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin and Vietnamese by community , but also includes a statewide that supports all individuals from migrant, refugee, and multicultural backgrounds to access culturally informed care. Services recognise and respond to barriers such as stigma and language, drawing on deep cultural knowledge to support individuals, families, and communities.
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The Love the Game Sporting Club Program is Australia’s largest and longest running initiative to combat the normalisation of gambling in sport and raise awareness about the risks and potential harms associated with sports betting. The program’s partners are supported to actively engage with their communities to teach young people about the risks associated with gambling and how to think critically about them.
Read more about Love the Game Sporting Club .
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Be Ahead of the Game is a Victorian school education program helping young people understand the risks associated with gambling and gaming.
Drawing on the latest research into young people’s participation in, and attitudes towards, gambling and gaming, the program helps young people think critically about the current marketing, gaming and technology landscape that is making gambling increasingly visible, enticing, and accessible to young people.
The whole-of-school approach of Be Ahead of the Game empowers teachers, parents, carers, and students to better understand the issues and make informed decisions about gambling.
Read more about Be Ahead of the .
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We support Gambler’s Help services to deliver training to staff at Victorian gaming venues to reduce the risk of harm for customers who gamble on electronic gaming machines (pokies). This also includes ensuring customers have access to information on seeking help.
Read more about Responsible Service of Gaming .
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The Gambling Harm Prevention and Response unit acknowledges people with lived and living experience, including everyone who contributed to and continues to contribute to gambling harm prevention and response work. We deeply appreciate your knowledge and expertise and thank you for partnering with us to achieve system transformation.
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1 Suomi, A., Kim, J., Biddle, N., Dowling, N. A., Hahn, M., Cowlishaw, S., Butterworth, P., Thomas, A., Hodgins, D., Heywood, W., Scott, P., Myers, P., 2024, Victorian population gambling and health study , State Government of Victoria, Melbourne.
2 Problem gambling is characterised by difficulties in limiting money and/or time on gambling, which leads to adverse consequences for the person gambling and often others in the community. It is measured by the Problem Gambling Severity Index .
3 Suomi, A., Kim, J., Biddle, N., Dowling, N. A., Hahn, M., Cowlishaw, S., Butterworth, P., Thomas, A., Hodgins, D., Heywood, W., Scott, P., Myers, P., 2024, Victorian population gambling and health study , State Government of Victoria, Melbourne.
4 Department of Justice (2009). Problem Gambling from a Public Health Perspective, Melbourne and Hare S. (2015) Study of gambling and health in Victoria, Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation and the Department of Justice and Regulation, Melbourne.
5 Browne M, Tulloch C, Rawat V, Dellosa G, Russell AMT, Hing N, Rockloff M and Doran C (2025) The social costs of gambling to , 2023, State Government of Victoria, Melbourne.
Reviewed 22 August 2025