Abstract
As part of a larger study, this paper reports on findings into risk and protective factors associated with gambling products and services by Indigenous Australians. Both Indigenous card gambling (traditional or unregulated) and commercial gambling (regulated) were investigated. Permission was granted by Indigenous Elders and by a university ethics committee to conduct this research. Using qualitative methods and purposeful sampling, interviews were conducted with 60 Indigenous and 14 non-Indigenous Australians, 14 non-Indigenous gambling help counsellors and 20 non-Indigenous gaming venue managers. Risk factors include gambling availability and familiarity, the use of non-monetary stakes and traditional exchange systems, venue comfort, social inclusiveness and ignoring cultural relationship restrictions. Protective factors include limiting physical and social access to gambling, self-regulated social group gambling and engagement with collective culture. From a public health stance, inclusive responsible gambling policies designed around access may assist Indigenous gamblers in more appropriate and meaningful ways.
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Acknowledgment
The author would like to express appreciation for the contributions and cooperation of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people from the Gulf, the Eyre and the Rainforest Regions of Aboriginal Australia (Horton 1996).
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The author is aware of deliberations around titles used to describe Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. For consistency, the term Indigenous Australians (Mansell 2003) has been used to include all Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples unless otherwise quoted in a source document.
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Breen, H. Risk and Protective Factors Associated with Gambling Products and Services: Indigenous Gamblers in North Queensland. Int J Ment Health Addiction 10, 24–38 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-010-9296-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-010-9296-z