Gambling has a known link to criminals and thus to match fixing, and pressure on players, coaches and trainers. But for the ordinary punter?
What is an ordinary punter? For the financial year 2009 – 10 total gambling turnover Australia wide was $160.4 billion. In WA it was $5bn. Per capita in Australia we spent $9,401.72, and in WA $2,888.17. The Australia average was boosted by very large figures in the NT. (Source: Government Statistician, Queensland Treasury and Trade, 2012, Australian Gambling Statistics, 28th Edition.) WA’s smaller total is mainly due to the lack of poker machines in clubs.
Maybe $2,888.17 per head is not too much if you earn a lot (although perhaps twice what church members give). But the statistics don’t tell about three really big issues. One is addiction gambling. Gambling venues have lots of signs displayed nowadays telling you where to get help (various gambling helplines). An emerging problem is gambling on the internet.
And a third is the stirring up of the greed and desire for more that changes the way we see our life. “Life doesn’t consist in the abundance of possessions” someone once said. A section of our society wants to convince us that it does. Should we lend a hand to build a different society (Ex 23.4,5)?
Dale