Whole-of-community approach

The Tasmanian Government is strongly committed to protecting vulnerable Tasmanians from harm caused by gambling.

We are taking a whole-of-community approach to reducing gambling harm. This approach not only considers harms for individual gamblers but also their families and communities.

Gambling Support Program Strategic Framework 2019-2023
Download PDF (4.3MB)

The Gambling Support Program is delivered by the Department of Premier and Cabinet. The program works to stop harm from gambling by:

  • Funding specialist gambling support services.
  • Developing and delivering community education campaigns to build awareness and knowledge of gambling and gambling harm.
  • Delivering community grants programs to help community organisations address gambling harm, its drivers and impacts.
  • Funding local research to inform Gambling Support Program service design and community education programs.

The program is guided by a strategic framework, which describes the program’s approach to reducing harm from gambling. It sets out a roadmap to make sure all activities work towards the same goals. It is funded through the Community Support Fund, which is sourced from levies on electronic gaming machines (EGMs or pokies) in Tasmanian hotels, clubs and casinos.

A new framework will be developed to reflect changes in the gambling environment, however the 2019–2023 framework remains reflective of the current priorities of the Gambling Support Program.

Funding distribution

We publish annual funding allocations and acquittals for activities we deliver from the Community Support Fund.

2024-25 Community Support Fund allocation and acquittal

Specialist Gambling Support Services

  • Funding allocation: $970,783
  • Expended/committed at 30 June: $951,201

Community Education

  • Funding allocation: $605,000
  • Expended/committed at 30 June: $584,295

Tasmanian Gambling Exclusion Scheme Awareness Program

  • Funding allocation: $100,000
  • Expended/committed at 30 June: $100,000

Research

  • Funding allocation: $315,000
  • Expended/committed at 30 June: $302,371

Neighbourhood House Engagement

  • Funding allocation: $1,824,000
  • Expended/committed at 30 June: $1,824,000

Community Partnerships

  • Funding allocation: $250,000
  • Expended/committed at 30 June: $100,000

Community Grants

  • Funding allocation: $1,000,000
  • Expended/committed at 30 June: $1,000,000

Gambling Support Program Operations

  • Funding allocation: $283,000
  • Expended/committed at 30 June: $283,000

TOTAL for 2024-25

  • Funding allocation: $5,347,783
  • Expended/committed at 30 June: $5,144,867
2023-24 Community Support Fund allocation and acquittal

Specialist Gambling Support Services

  • Funding allocation: $938,000
  • Expended/committed at 30 June: $932,075

Community Education

  • Funding allocation: $460,000
  • Expended/committed at 30 June: $181,865

Research

  • Funding allocation: $380,000
  • Expended/committed at 30 June: $20,983

Neighbourhood House Engagement

  • Funding allocation: $2,200,000
  • Expended/committed at 30 June: $2,185,500

Community Grants

  • Funding allocation: $800,000
  • Expended/committed at 30 June: $738,558

Gambling Support Program Operations

  • Funding allocation: $283,000
  • Expended/committed at 30 June: $230,000

TOTAL for 2023-24

  • Funding allocation: $5,061,000
  • Expended/committed at 30 June: $4,341,981

Finding help

Gambling can have negative effects on relationships, health, finances and emotions. Gambling harm can affect the person who gambles and their family and friends.

Support and information are available for anyone concerned about their own gambling or someone else’s gambling.

Online help

  • Gambling Help Online provides free support for anyone affected by gambling. The website has information, tools and resources to help you take control of your gambling. You can also chat with a counsellor by email or anonymously through the online chat.
  • The Know Your Odds website has information about support options as well as risk assessments, self-help tools and gambling calculators.

Phone help

  • Gamblers Helpline Tasmania is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week on 1800 858 858. The helpline is staffed by counsellors who can provide crisis support, counselling, advice, information or a referral to in-person counselling. Calls to this service are free from landlines and will not be listed on your landline’s phone bill.

In-person help

  • Gamblers Help Service is a free service run by Anglicare Tasmania. Counsellors can support callers through financial and professional counselling, connecting with support groups, and organising self-exclusion orders to help gamblers ban themselves from gambling venues. For more information, contact Anglicare Tasmania on 1800 243 232.

Self-exclusions

  • Self-exclusions allow you to ban yourself from one or more gambling venues. For more information, contact Anglicare Tasmania on 1800 243 232 or visit Anglicare Tasmania.
  • BetStop is a national self-exclusion register that supports you to block yourself from all licensed Australian online and phone gambling providers. BetStop is run by the Australian Government and is safe and free to use.

Gambling regulation

In Tasmania, gambling is regulated through the Gaming Control Act. The Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission is responsible for making the rules for gambling in Tasmania and the Department of Treasury and Finance is responsible for making sure gambling venues follow the rules.

Casinos, hotels and clubs with electronic gaming machines (EGMs or pokies) pay a levy on the profits of EGMs. The money raised from this levy forms the Community Support Fund. The fund is established under Section 151A of the Gaming Control Act and the Gaming Control (Community Support Fund) Regulations and supports gambling harm prevention and minimisation programs, including:

  • support services and programs
  • initiatives to prevent or stop problematic gambling early
  • research
  • community development projects.

Further information

Research

The Social and Economic Impact Studies of Gambling in Tasmania is Tasmania's main gambling prevalence study. The study is conducted every five years and is commissioned and published by the Department of Treasury and Finance.

The Gambling Support Program commissions local research to better understand how different gambling issues impact Tasmanians. Local research findings are used to develop and improve programs to reduce and prevent gambling harm.

The most recent research looked at young people and gambling.

Community campaigns

Know Your Odds

Know Your Odds seeks to help Tasmanians better understand how commercial gambling works. It has been delivered in a series of phases since 2011.

The Know Your Odds Community Education Campaign Evaluation 2022 Research Report (PDF 2.8MB) found the brand has strong public recognition and is considered effective.

Give Change a Chance

Give Change A Chance encourages Tasmanians to consider whether they are starting to experience issues or harms related to their online gambling. The campaign first ran from November 2020 to March 2021.

The Online Gambling Community Education Campaign Evaluation 2021 Research Report (PDF 1.3MB) found the brand has strong messaging clarity, but the campaign would benefit from further exposure.

Community grants

The Community Support Fund Grants Program allows community organisations to apply for funding for projects or equipment that support preventing and reducing gambling harm.

If you would like to be notified about when this program opens next, sign up to receive grant alerts via email.

Contact

gambling@dpac.tas.gov.au

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