Gambling Harm Awareness Week isn’t about blaming or judging, it’s about awareness. Awareness of the quiet ways harm shows up. Awareness of the power of language. Awareness that recovery is possible.
And maybe, awareness that most of us have been part of the problem without meaning to be.
When we hear the words gambling problem, most of us picture the extreme. Someone who has lost everything. Someone who can’t stop. Someone else.
But gambling harm is rarely that obvious. Sometimes it looks like unpaid bills stacking up. Sometimes it’s the tension at home when money goes missing. Sometimes it’s a partner lying awake, wondering how to help someone they love.
It can also look like the person beside you at work, the one who’s suddenly quiet, skipping lunch, or taking more “quick calls” outside. The truth is, harm is a spectrum, not a headline. And it ripples far beyond the person placing the bet. Families, friends, workplaces, even whole communities, feel its reach.
In Canberra alone, more than 58,000 people are experiencing harm because of gambling. That means almost all of us know someone affected, even if we don’t realise it.
But I didn’t know that language could cause harm too
We tend to think of harm in dollars and debt, not in words. But the language we use around gambling can make a difference between someone reaching out for help or retreating further into shame.
Phrases like “play responsibly” sound positive, but they often make people feel the harm is their fault. It turns a systemic issue, the design of gambling products, the marketing, the access, into a personal failure.
As one Canberra local shared in the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission’s new guide,
“When I kept seeing ‘gamble responsibly’, I felt like I was being told that if I couldn’t stop, it was because I wasn’t a responsible person.”
That quiet guilt is the reason many people stay silent.
When we shift to person-first language, the story changes. We can say “a person experiencing harm from gambling” instead of “problem gambler”. We can say “someone affected by gambling” instead of “addict”.
It’s a small shift, but it does something powerful: it gives people their humanity back. It reminds them and us, that they are more than what they’re struggling with.
But I didn’t know that silence can be heavy
For families and friends, gambling harm often lives behind closed doors. People hide it out of fear, embarrassment, or love. They want to protect others from worry. But the silence that follows can be isolating.
That’s why open conversations matter. They don’t need to be perfect. In fact, the guide says an imperfect conversation is far better than silence.
You don’t have to have all the answers. You don’t even need the right words. Just showing you care can be enough.
Try starting with:
- “I’ve noticed you seem a bit stressed lately. How are you doing?”
- “I know things have been tough. Do you want to talk about it?”
- “Would it help to find out what kind of support is out there together?”
Often, people just need a safe space to say what’s been sitting on their chest.
But I didn’t know gambling language is everywhere
Have you ever said something was a “safe bet”, or that you “lost big” on something at work? These phrases are so normal that we forget where they come from.
For young people especially, that casual language can blur the lines between gambling and everyday life. It makes risk sound ordinary, even fun.
At the same time, extreme words like “hopeless addict” or “slave to the pokies” can do the opposite. They make people sound broken or beyond help, when in reality, most people experiencing harm can and do recover.
The guide reminds us that the balance lies in being real but respectful. Honest, but hopeful.
We don’t need to dramatise gambling harm to take it seriously. We just need to talk about it like the complex, human issue it is.
But I didn’t know that recovery happens quietly, every day
It’s easy to assume that gambling harm is a life sentence, that once you’ve fallen in, you can’t get out. But that’s not true. Recovery happens quietly every day in Canberra.
It looks like someone paying off debt one week at a time.
It looks like a family sitting down together again for dinner.
It looks like a friend finally sleeping through the night.
People recover through counselling, community programs, peer support, and sometimes through small moments of hope, a kind conversation, a friend who didn’t give up, or a story that made them feel less alone.
As one person shared in the guide,
“It would’ve made such a difference if people spoke in ways that reminded me of my strengths and the possibility of change.”
Recovery starts there, with hope, not shame.
But I didn’t know help was this close
Many people think there’s no help until things are severe. But support is available at every stage, even before things feel out of control.
If you or someone you love is affected by gambling, help is just a phone call or click away.
ACT Gambling Support Service – Free, confidential 24/7 help
1800 858 858 | actgamblingsupport.org.au
Lifeline – 24/7 crisis support 13 11 14 | lifeline.org.au
Every Story Matters – Canberra’s lived experience hub
everystorymatters.act.gov.au
Gambling Help Online – National chat and counselling service gamblinghelponline.org.au
No matter where you are on the journey, there’s someone ready to listen, without judgement.
But I didn’t know how much difference one conversation could make
If there’s one takeaway from this week, it’s that every one of us can help shift the culture around gambling. You don’t have to work in policy or counselling to make a difference. You just have to care enough to start the conversation.
You can:
- Share posts that use positive, inclusive language.
- Talk to your family and friends about gambling harm as a health issue, not a personal failure.
- Ask your workplace or sporting club how they talk about gambling and whether their messaging could be more balanced.
- Remember that help-seeking isn’t weakness, it’s courage.
The ACT Gambling and Racing Commission’s guide was co-designed with people who’ve lived this experience, people who know the power of being heard. It exists because words matter. They always have.
When we speak with care, we make it easier for others to speak up. And that’s how real change begins.
This week, take a moment to reflect on the conversations around you. Could your words make someone feel seen, instead of ashamed? Could you be the reason they reach out for help?
Because once you know, you can’t un-know. And that’s where change begins.
To learn more about how to talk safely and compassionately about gambling, read the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission’s guide, Let’s Change the Conversation: A Guide to Talking About Gambling and Related Harms.
