$250,000 in grants to prevent gambling harm in regional and rural Victoria

Grants totalling $250,000 are available for gambling harm prevention projects in regional and rural Victoria.

The Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Marlene Kairouz, announced the funding today in Bendigo.

Read the minister's full media release: More regional grants to prevent gambling harm.

Minister Kairouz announced the grants at an event where the Foundation launched its formal statement of commitment to working with non-metro communities. This statement outlines our approach to providing targeted assistance to outer metropolitan, regional and rural communities and highlights funding priorities and important activities for the next three years.

The new grants program aims to extend gambling harm prevention activities through collaborative projects that investigate the impact of gambling harm on regional and rural communities, raise awareness of the risks of gambling harm, increase our knowledge of effective prevention practices, and build local capacity to deliver gambling harm prevention programs.

Reclink Australia and members of the Bendigo Bombers Football Club, which already receives support via Reclink under the Foundation’s Prevention Partnership Program, attended the grants announcement today.

Reclink Australia CEO John Ballis, who was represented at the event today by Reclink Vic state manager Chris Lacey, said ‘Reclink is working with Gambler’s Help regional agencies to create a regional football league in Central Victoria and Gippsland to break the pathways to high-risk behaviours, like gambling, through social connection, improved health and wellbeing, and other supports.

‘The Foundation–Reclink partnership is important because it allows teams like the Bendigo Bombers to participate in the league as an alternative recreation activity, the take-up of which reduces the risk of young men, in particular, experiencing gambling harm.’

Applications for funding under the Prevention Grants for Regional and Rural Victoria program close at 5 pm AEST on Thursday, 3 May 2018.