Video Transcription

It’s Not Just Gamblers Who Need Support (How Gambling Affects Family And Friends)

Lucy: James, wake up. My husband has a problem with gambling. I’ve given up trying to fix it – it’s just what our life is now. Sometimes I feel like I’m stuck in a room, and I can’t get out.

Rosa: My son gambles. I sometimes wonder if it’s my fault. Was it something I did, or maybe something I didn’t do? It’s affecting everything. Actually, I’m a bit embarrassed that it’s got this bad.

Chloe: My dad gambles a lot. He thinks I don’t know about it, but I do. I’ve known something’s been going on for a while now. It’s like I see my friends’ parents, and it’s a whole other world than mine. It’s nothing special. It’s just… I don’t know… normal. I want normal.

Rosa: My other kids don’t say anything about it anymore. And it’s not the kind of thing I discuss with friends. Everyone has their own problems. I would like to think that my son could take control himself, but I know it’s not that simple. And gambling is everywhere you look these days.

Chloe: I used to get my hopes up that things would change. That we would wake up one day, and everything would be better. But I know that’s not gonna happen. I thought about talking to Mum, but it’s like, if I’m OK, she’s OK. But I know she’s not. She’s not okay.

Lucy: The gambling makes life hard, but it’s the loneliness that really gets to me. I don’t talk to anyone else about it because I don’t want anyone else to know. I know that he’s hurting, and I don’t want to have to choose, but the kids have to be my number one priority.

Voice-over: Authorised by the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, Melbourne.

Video by Responsible Gambling