In Australia, the Returned Services League, or RSL, is the leading provider of services for veterans of the wars the country has participated in. A local RSL acts as a sort of club, often with meals available for purchase, hosting community events and with a Poker machine or ‘pokies’ area. Research published earlier this month from Curtin University and Monash University reviewed community benefit statements from Victorian RSL venues with electronic gambling machines between 2009 and 2019. It revealed that only a very small percentage of profits from RSL venues with gambling machines in Victoria is spent on improving veteran welfare. It also suggested that a focus on gambling could in fact be harming the community.
This article will cover this research and what it means for the community, including highlighting the lack of benefits that pokies offer veterans and the potential threat of gambling machines to the community.
What Does the Research Say?
This research has revealed that only a small percentage of profits from RSL venues that operate gambling machines in Victoria is actually spent on improving veteran welfare and wellbeing—and that a focus on gambling could, indeed, be creating greater harm in the wider community
The research, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, reviewed all the community benefit statements published from Victorian RSL venues, and analysed them in detail.
The research focused on exactly how much revenue was used for veteran welfare initiatives and gambling harm prevention and found that:
- Less than 10% of reported community contributions supported veterans directly
- For every $100 in gambler losses from machines, only $1.50 was directed toward veteran welfare
- Victorian RSLs with electronic pokie machines claimed an average of 12 times more on business expenses than on veteran support contributions
- Total gambler losses at RSL venues in Victoria during the research period reached a staggering figure of $9.75 billion, however less than 0.002 per cent of those funds went toward preventing or treating gambling-related harm
As anyone with a Masters in Public Health knows, RSLs and gambling can play a role in public health. Victorian RSLs should be prioritising community benefits. Instead, this research shows that most profits from gambling machines are not being directed towards this, and are instead causing gambling related harm in the community.
What Do the Research Authors Say?
The lead researcher of the study, Dr Louise Francis, from the Curtin School of Population Health, who researched while in residence at Monash University, said that Australian veterans record higher rates of harmful gambling when compared to the general population.
“There is an argument (that) any ties to gambling — and more specifically, high-risk electronic gambling machines — run counter to the RSL’s position as a benchmark ex-service organisation playing a critical role in supporting veteran health and wellbeing,” Dr Francis said.
Associate Professor Charles Livingstone of the Monash University School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine and Associate Professor Jonathan Hallett of the Curtin School of Population Health were also co-authors of the paper.
“This research demonstrates that claims of community benefit coming from poker machine venues — in this case RSLs — are significantly overstated,” Professor Livingstone said.
“These claims are used to justify (the) operation of addictive gambling products that impose huge costs on the community. Yet most of these ‘benefits’ are actually claims for operating expenses, rather than benefits provided to the community, or to veterans and their families.” Professor Livingstone went on to say.
“The Victorian and other Australian governments must closely review such schemes and tighten regulation to make sure claims of benefits are real. Allowing gambling tax breaks for these claims is irresponsible, and robs taxpayers of revenue.” Professor Livingstone said.
Licensed Australian not-for-profit organisations, such as RSLs, are granted tax concessions in exchange for funding programs and initiatives benefiting the community.
“This tax exemption system is intended to help licensed NFPs direct gambling profits toward community and veteran support,” Dr Francis said.
What Harm Does Gambling Cause?
According to the Australian Institute of Family Studies, among those members of the community who gambled, around half (46%) were classified as being at some level of risk of gambling harm in the past 12 months, with varying degrees of severity.
Gambling has the potential to cause immense harm in the community, as someone with a gambling addiction will often gamble to their detriment, spending more than they can afford on gambling, appropriating family funds to fuel their habit, and in some extreme cases losing their homes or other assets due to debts incurred by gambling. On a more personal note, gambling can be responsible for family breakdown and loss of status, relationships and jobs.
In Summary
This research has demonstrated that only a small fraction of gambling profits are being used by RSLs to fund initiatives for veterans, and in reality, the inclusion of gambling machines at RSL venues could be doing more harm than good for the veteran community.
