Problem Gambling Foundation New Zealand
Problem Gambling Foundation New Zealand Official
For New Zealanders, there is the Gambling Helpline New Zealand and the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand. Both of these organizations operate phone lines that can provide support for problem gambling. ChoiceNotChance is a great online resource which can help with things to watch out for, covering safety online as well as problem gambling. At the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand (PGF) we are trained to help. Our qualified counsellors provide free, professional and confidential gambling counselling services for both gamblers and others affected by gambling. We currently have counsellors working out of Wellington, Lower Hutt, Porirua and Paraparaumu. PGFNZ organise a rally to protest the damage that Pokie machines do to communities. They stage this outside new Zealands largest casino in downtown Auckland. The Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand (PGF) is a national non-profit organisation predominantly funded by the Ministry of Health with funds received from the gambling levy. The Foundation is committed to health promotion that contributes to safer gambling practices through community education and the development of regulations.
The Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand (PGF) is a national non-profit organisation in New Zealand predominantly funded by the Ministry of Health with funds received from the gambling levy.
PGF is the largest single treatment provider for problem gambling in Australasia, with over 60 locations throughout New Zealand and a staff of 70. Qualified counselors provide free, professional and confidential counseling services for gamblers and others affected by gambling; a dedicated public health team works on problem-gambling issues in the community with a health promotion approach.
PGF's Asian Family Services provides professional counseling and advice in Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese, Khmer and Thai.
The PGF began as the Compulsive Gambling Society (CGS) in 1988 with funding from the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board. Psychiatrist Fraser McDonald helped three men who were experiencing problems with gambling establish the CGS because, at that time, there were no services available for gambling problems. CGS started out as a telephone service, with the first national hotline of its type beginning in 1992. As the need grew, services expanded to include face-to-face services; a second clinic was opened in Manurewa in 1993.
In 2001 The PGF succeeded the CGS, moving from an addictions and medical-based philosophy to a public-health approach.[1]
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References[edit]
- ^Michael Dickison and Adam Bennett, 'NZ's $926m Lotto gamble'. New Zealand Herald, Dec 30, 2011 Retrieved 2012-01-23.