"up to 60 problem gamblers take their own lives each year. "
In one hospital alone there were 150 problem gambler suicidal patients admitted in the Alfred Hospital's emergency department in 2010.
A 2010 Australian hospital study found from 898 suicidal patients that 17% of suicidal patients admitted to the Alfred Hospital's emergency department were problem gamblers.
15% of all regular poker machine players are problem gamblers, and they contribute 40% of the revenue that is gained from these machines.
A further 280,000 are ‘moderate risk’ gamblers.
on average, a problem gambler adversely affects the lives of a further 7.3 people
The federal government Productivity Commission in 1999 estimated 2.1% of Australian adults have gambling problems that lead to depression (50% of problem gamblers suffer from major depression), suicide (40% of problem gamblers report suicidal thoughts and 1.7% of Australian suicides are purported to be gambling-related), and substance abuse (30-40%).
But for an estimated 2.3% of adult Australians, gambling can lead to financial crisis, family breakdown, child neglect, homelessness, criminal activity, anxiety, depression and suicide – issues that indirectly impact on an estimated 3.3 million friends, family members, partners and colleagues each year.
In 1999 the Productivity Commission reported that one in four people with a gambling problem divorced or separated as a result of their habit. One in ten said they had contemplated suicide while up to 60 problem gamblers take their own lives each year.
Professor Jayashri Kulkarni, director of the Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, said researchers made the discovery after screening 898 suicidal patients for gambling problems over six months last year.
