7 Jul 2022

Gambling researcher: 'Get help now, don't wait'

From Nine To Noon, 9:10 am on 7 July 2022

New research out this morning has found counselling can have long-lasting benefits as a treatment for gambling disorders.

It's based on a randomised clinical trial with 227 people who were taking part in the Salvation Army's Oasis treatment programme.

The research was led by AUT's Gambling and Addictions Research Centre with help from researchers at Flinders University in Australia and Canada's University of Calgary.

It looked at the effectiveness of two gambling interventions within a service setting: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Motivational Interviewing. AUT Associate Professor Maria Bellringer is the principal researcher and joins Kathryn to talk about what it means for current gambling treatments on offer - and why problem gamblers should seek help now.

If you, or someone you know, are experiencing harm from gambling the Ministry of Health has a list of services available nationwide on its website. You can find it here.