Do you have lived experience of gambling harm?

Do you have lived experience of gambling harm, whether it’s yourself, a family member, or close friend? Are you ready to share your story to help others?

Together with Mental Illness Education ACT (MIEACT), we are seeking people with a lived experience of gambling harm to share their stories. This includes the families, friends and partners (support network) harmed by the gambling of others.

Research has identified that for every one person directly experiencing gambling harm, another six people on average around them are also negatively impacted by it. Approximately 44,000 people in the ACT (14% of the population) are impacted by their own or someone else’s gambling and as little as 2% of them seek help.

How can you help?

As part of the Voices of Gambling Harm program, Lived Experience Experts will be trained by MIEACT using the DoNoHarm Framework to support them to develop and safely tell their stories. Participants will share their personal journeys through recorded digital stories and/or present their story to community groups and other stakeholders in the ACT. The stories will also be included in an online learning course, as well as a printed booklet which will be distributed across Canberra to relevant groups.

As a Lived Experience Expert, you will join others just like you, such as AGSS’ lead peer support worker Markus Fischer. Markus was a dedicated gambler for 40 years, and now his focus is squarely on helping others.

Markus’ story was recently featured in the Canberra Times, which you can read here.

To find out more about the Voices of Gambling Harm program, visit the MIEACT website.

If there is anything in this article that has struck a chord with you – or you recognise the warning signs in a friend or family member – you can speak to a support person and access various support services by calling 1800 858 858. This free, confidential and non-judgemental service is available 24/7.