Victim

By Jade Lawton
The Berwick resident, who did not want to be identified, said he was not anti-pokies but wanted to advocate a responsible approach to gambling.
“I’ve been on the wagon for about 10 years. I was a problem gambler on the pokies for about three years, and I would have blown somehow close to $100,000 over that period. I was earning good money at the time and borrowing it – personal loans, credit cards, it wasn’t pretty,” he said.
“It’s this ridiculous glass cage they are talking about that is offensive on so many levels.
“It’s far better for people to say ‘well I’ve got kids, no babysitter, so I’ll stay at home with my family’. It will also encourage gambling behaviors down the track – these kids will see their parents gambling, their grandparents gambling, and think it’s OK.
“Anyone who has a problem – well, the cage would certainly make them inclined to stay longer than they normally would.”
The man, now a father-of-three, said his pokies habit still had ramifications in his life.
“Earlier this year, taking stock of where I’ve been, what I’ve been doing in my life I realised that the last 10 years I’ve been in denial. If I went somewhere I would look around, see where the pokies venues are, and then ignore them,” he said.
“I’m not anti-gambling as such – I play Powerball once a week – but I refuse to play a poker machine.
“I have so much trouble managing finances – bills still go unpaid, even though I earn good money.”
The man has started a blog advocating for gambling reform at http://www.cyenne.com