ACT Gambling Support Services

My name is Markus and I am the Lead Peer Support (Lived Experienced) and Community Engagement worker in the ACT Gambling Support Services team for Relationships Australia Canberra & Region. It is my passion to support people in the community who’ve been impacted by gambling harm.

I’m 62 years of age and I gambled from when I was incredibly young, playing cards for match sticks with family, until I sought support when I was 51. I haven’t gambled for over ten years and it’s a continuing journey, not a destination for me. I still access support services.

Gambling in all its forms exists all around me and I don’t seek to demonise gambling. I seek to educate people about potential harms that exist with a health and wellbeing approach and how to seek support if you, your family, or friends feel impacted.

Gambling harm does not discriminate. I used to work for major IT companies, I had readily available money to gamble, and it did not discriminate against me. At my lowest gambling point I spent money I didn’t have, couldn’t afford, or ever pay back as I dug a deepening hole for myself. This is not the journey that I had in mind for my life.

I gambled for 40 years, and for a lot of that time it was fun. I wasn’t always losing particularly substantial amounts of money, sometimes I was winning big. In fact, the worst thing that occurred on my gambling journey was to “win”. In 1980 I won $33,000 on a machine, close to $120,000 in today’s terms and a lot for a 20-year-old. I liked the feeling, the excitement, the attention, and I thought I could do it again (that was 42 years ago) and I now know gambling harm is so more than losing money.

It was “entertainment” until one day it wasn’t. I came to realise I was in a spiral of chasing losses, overspending, and hiding the reality of my gambling from family, friends, and colleagues. I woke up one day and realised gambling affected every aspect of my life, my mental health, my work, and my relationships. It was costing my self-esteem, my pride, my family, and my friends.

If you walked past me in the street, you would not know that I have been impacted by gambling harm. Once again, I don’t seek to demonise gambling, I seek to educate people around potential harms that can exist and offer support for you, your family, or friends if you feel impacted.

ACT Gambling Support Services is one of the supports that are FREE, nonjudgmental, and confidential. Our team comprises three gambling counsellors and myself, a Peer Support worker with lived experience, that can engage with your journey at any point. We also have a Family & Friends of Gamblers group and you can register your interest by emailing agss@racr.org.au, phoning 02 6122-7182 or via the internet at racr.org.au or actgamblingsupport.org.au.

If you reach out, you will find 24/7 support through the National Helpline on 1800 858 858 as every story matters.

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