High electronic gaming machine risk and harm persist among Victorian gamblers

A new study that examines the attitudes and behaviors of electronic gaming machine (EGM) venue customers and staff in Victoria, Australia, reveals high rates of problem gambling risk.

The study has been published by the Victoria State Government, and it has involved a venue-based survey of 352 EGM customers from 12 Victorian gaming venues, as well as an online survey of gaming room staff, which attracted 92 respondents from across the state.

This is the third wave of the Electronic Gaming Machine Environment Study, with this having taken place between May and June 2024.

Speaking on the findings, the state government has shared what the study has revealed: “Consistent with the first 2 waves, the current study identified high rates of problem gambling risk and harm among people who gamble in EGM venues; one in 6 respondents met the criteria for problem gambling as measured by the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), two-thirds were at some level of problem gambling risk, and half had experienced gambling-related harm in the past 12 months.”

Victoria State Government reveals findings of electronic gaming machine study

The venue staff reported high levels of confidence in identifying and responding to harm, but this has been found to be generally not reflected in their behavior. While staff reported a greater frequency of harm-related interactions with customers than in earlier studies, these actions were still relatively uncommon.

The findings from the customer survey indicate no change in their experience of staff behavior over time.

In the published summary, it states the study provides further evidence in support of behavioral indicators of experiencing gambling harm, like spending more than $200 per session, betting $3 or more per spin, and making multiple cash withdrawals. However, it was found that many of the staff appear not to consider these behaviors as potentially risky.

In line with this, there’s a belief that there’s a need for ongoing staff and customer education and communication activities, along with exploration of additional support for venue staff in being able to identify potentially harmful behaviors.

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