The gambling industry grew massively in the last 15 years in Australia. Gaming machines, called pokies, are available in many hotels and pubs. As a result, Australia faces a growth in the number of problem gamblers.
John Sabados, who created the website Problem Gambling guide, said there are about 300,000 people in Australia who suffer from gambling problem. He said that in most of the cases of problem gambling the family is damaged as well.
According to the 1999 Australian Committee on Gambling, problem gambling is defined as a loss of control over gambling. Sabados approves that the gambling machines are a main cause to the rise in problem gamblers in Australia. In 2003, 59 percent of the total gambling revenue came from pokies, while 16.5 percent came from casinos and 12.5 percent from racetracks.
