The backyard experiment that exposed the swaths who are calling out for help

In the ongoing battle to tackle problem gambling in NSW, some stories offer the occasional glimmer of hope. And then some developments truly infuriate.

The plight of counsellor Gareth Wyatt and his bid to tackle gambling addiction among young men in the suburbs of Sydney, which have the highest poker machine losses in NSW, manages to do both.

As the Herald’s Harriet Alexander reports, Wyatt and his not-for-profit Canterbury Earlwood Caring Association Ltd (CECEAL) have benefited from a scheme where pubs and clubs must direct some of their profits to a central fund when they are approved to increase their number of poker machines.

The payments are meant to offset the potential harms that might be generated when more pokies are introduced into the neighbourhood. So when the Hurlstone Park Hotel received 10 new gaming machines, CECAL became one of a handful of nearby groups to receive funding.

Wyatt has used some of the $707,985 received over the past five years to spruik his service by sponsoring a rugby league-based podcast popular among young men, the group statistically most likely to gamble at risky levels.

The government insists that only small numbers of the NSW population are experiencing high-risk gambling harm, but Wyatt’s backyard experiment proves that there are swaths of people who want help if you know where to find them. These are the figures that the government does not want to know.

“The link between gambling and DV is plain to see for everyone … except perhaps the government. I have invited government figures to come along and listen, yet they are always too busy,” he said.

Wyatt’s funding came via the Community Benefit Payment Scheme, established in 2018 following a Herald report that exposed the then-shameless exploitation by hotels seeking to increase their poker machine numbers by offering donations to community groups of their choice.

In one instance, anti-domestic violence advocacy group White Ribbon accepted a $50,000 donation from the Fairfield Hotel, contingent on the pub being allowed to acquire more pokies despite research showing the relationship between gambling and family violence. White Ribbon later backtracked about the donation.

The Community Benefit Payment Scheme is a vast improvement on these underhanded arrangements. It has taken the power away from gaming venues in deciding who benefits by having an independent committee select who receives funding. It has also allowed community groups greater freedom to support or oppose an increase in pokies at local venues without being conflicted by the opportunity to gain funding.

But it has flaws. While the 10 poker machines remain at the Hurlstone Park Hotel indefinitely, under the scheme, funding for CECAL, despite its demand, finishes in 2026.

Wesley Mission warns there’s also no evaluation by the government of how funding from the scheme is spent. So while success stories like CECAL exist, it is impossible to know if that is always the case.

An evaluation might also reveal services worthy of continued funding even after the scheme’s money expires. Highlighting that even if good comes from the scheme, it is difficult to see it as anything more than lip service from the government.

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