Survey of financial counsellors and clients released

Financial Counselling Australia has released a new report, Problem Gambling Financial Counselling: Survey and Case Studies. The report is based on two surveys of specialist problem gambling financial counselling agencies conducted in late 2015.

The first survey collected data about the work and outputs of problem gambling financial counsellors in the past few years. The second survey was qualitative and includes 68 de-identified case studies about clients affected by problem gambling. Seven of the agencies surveyed were in Victoria.

The survey provides profiles of the types of gambling being undertaken and consequences, as well as results from counselling.

Key findings include:

• around 90 per cent of clients were unable to pay bills or debts
  
• around 50 per cent had experienced relationship breakdown
  
• around 50 per cent had borrowed money for their gambling
  
• after counselling, more than 30 per cent had ceased gambling and a large majority had improved their physical and mental health.
  

The report and others are listed on the Financial Counsellors of Australia publications page