Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand Service-user statistics. Public Health Intelligence Monitoring Report No.

Transcription

1 Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand 26 Service-user statistics Public Health Intelligence Monitoring Report No. 14

2 The author of this report was Miranda Devlin (Advisor, Statistics) of Public Health Intelligence. Citation: Ministry of Health. 27. Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand: 26 Service-user statistics. Wellington: Ministry of Health. Published in July 27 by the Ministry of Health PO Box 513, Wellington, New Zealand ISBN (print) ISBN (online) HP 4421 This document is available on the Ministry of Health website:

3 Foreword Gambling-related harm is a significant social and health issue for New Zealanders. Under the Gambling Act 23, the Ministry of Health is the department responsible for the funding and co-ordination of problem gambling services. This role includes raising awareness of the risks of problem gambling and conducting research about problem gambling in New Zealand so we can gain further knowledge of the harm it causes and how to minimise this. Public Health Intelligence monitors the Ministry of Health s problem gambling research programme, including the use of monitoring problem gambling services in New Zealand. This activity contributes to Objective 7 of the Strategic Plan for Preventing and Minimising Gambling Harm 24 21, Develop a programme of research and evaluation. This report presents client numbers, gender, ethnicity, age, area, and modes of gambling of people with or affected by gambling problems who have sought help either through the Gambling Helpline, or through one of the many New Zealand providers of face-to-face intervention services. Measurements of how well clients have progressed with intervention are also presented. Comments on this report are welcome. They should be sent to Public Health Intelligence, Public Health Directorate, Ministry of Health, PO Box 513, Wellington. Dr Barry Borman Manager Public Health Intelligence Barbara Phillips Manager Problem Gambling Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand iii

4 Acknowledgements We would like to thank Dr Grant Paton-Simpson (provider of face-to-face intervention services data) and Krista Ferguson (Chief Executive Officer, Gambling Helpline Ltd), who develop and maintain the problem gambling information systems and provide analysis of the data from the intervention services. We would like to thank John Wong (National Manager, Asian Services, Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand) for providing us with the Asian Gambling Hotline data. We are also grateful to the service providers around the country who continue to collect and enter data into the problem gambling information system. The author gratefully acknowledges input from the peer reviewers: Krista Ferguson, Dr Grant Paton-Simpson, Kylie Mason (Advisor, GeoHealth, Public Health Intelligence) and Paul MacLennan (Senior Advisor, Problem Gambling, Public Health Intelligence). iv Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand

5 Contents Foreword Executive Summary iii xi Introduction 1 Service delivery contributing to national statistics 1 Technical Notes 4 Gambling Helpline Ltd 4 Face-to-face intervention services 6 Trends in Service Use 1 Key findings 1 Gambling Helpline trends in services 1 Asian Gambling Hotline trends in services 13 Face-to-face counselling trends in services 14 Client Characteristics 19 Key findings 19 Primary mode of problem gambling 2 Additional mode of problem gambling 23 Geographic spread of clients 26 Gender 27 Age distribution 32 Ethnicity 37 Gender and ethnicity 42 Suicidal behaviour 43 Face-to-face Client Progress 45 Key findings 45 Change in progress measures: reassessed clients 46 Progress comparisons 5 References 55 Appendices Appendix 1: Further Tables 56 Appendix 2: Progress Comparisons Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand v

6 List of Tables Table 1: Gambling Helpline Ltd: number of client contacts and percentage change from previous year, new and follow-up, Table 2: Gambling Helpline Ltd: number of clients, by frequency of contact, Table 3: Gambling Helpline Ltd: website statistics, Table 4: Asian Gambling Hotline: number of new clients, Table 5: Face-to-face intervention services: client composition, new full clients, Table 6: Face-to-face intervention services: total full clients, by client type, Table 7: Face-to-face intervention services: treatment duration, all full clients, Table 8: Face-to-face intervention services: summary statistics of dollars lost in four weeks before first assessments, full clients, Table 9: Face-to-face intervention services: SOGS-3M summary statistics for first assessments, new full clients, by primary gambling mode, Table 1: Face-to-face intervention services: summary statistics of dollars lost in four weeks before first assessment, new full clients, by primary mode of gambling, Table 11: Face-to-face intervention services: primary and additional modes of problem gambling for gamblers, new full clients, Table 12: Gambling Helpline Ltd: origin of contacts, new gambler and significant other clients, by District Health Board, Table 13: Face-to-face intervention services: SOGS-3M summary statistics for first assessments, new full clients, by gender, Table 14: Face-to-face intervention services: summary statistics of dollars lost in four weeks before first assessment, new full clients, by gender, Table 15: Face-to-face intervention services: SOGS-3M summary statistics for first assessments, new full clients, by age group, Table 16: Face-to-face intervention services: summary statistics of dollars lost in four weeks before first assessment, new full clients, by age group, Table 17: Face-to-face intervention services: primary mode of problem gambling for gamblers, new full clients, by age, Table 18: Face-to-face intervention services: SOGS-3M summary statistics for first assessments, full clients, by ethnicity, Table 19: Face-to-face intervention services: summary statistics of dollars lost in four weeks before first assessment, new full clients, by ethnicity, Table 2: Face-to-face intervention services: primary mode of problem gambling, new full clients, by gender and ethnicity, Table 21: Gambling Helpline Ltd: suicidal behaviour, new gamblers and significant others, Table 22: Face-to-face intervention services: gender and ethnicity of gambler reassessed full clients, Table A1: Gambling Helpline Ltd: numbers of new clients and percentage change from previous year, by client type, Table A2: Gambling Helpline Ltd: primary mode of problem gambling for gamblers, new clients, Table A3: Gambling Helpline Ltd, primary mode of problem gambling cited by significant others, new clients, Table A4: Face-to-face intervention services: primary mode of problem gambling for gamblers, new full clients, Table A5: Face-to-face intervention services: primary mode of problem gambling for gamblers, all full clients, Table A6: Gambling Helpline Ltd: additional mode of problem gambling for gamblers and significant others, new clients, vi Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand

7 Table A7: Face-to-face intervention services: additional mode of problem gambling for gamblers, new full clients, Table A8: Gambling Helpline Ltd: origin of contacts, gambler and significant other new clients, by territorial authority, Table A9: Face-to-face intervention services: origin of contacts, gambler and significant other new full clients, by territorial authority, Table A1: Face-to-face intervention services: main geographic location (clinic location), new full clients, Table A11: Face-to-face intervention services: primary mode of problem gambling for gamblers, new full clients, by gender, Table A12: Gambling Helpline Ltd: ethnicity of gamblers, new clients, Table A13: Gambling Helpline Ltd: ethnicity of significant others, new clients, Table A14: Face-to-face intervention services: ethnicity of gamblers, new clients, Table A15: Face-to-face intervention services: SOGS-3M summary statistics for first assessments, new full clients, Table A16: Face-to-face intervention services: distribution of dollars lost in four weeks before first assessment, new full clients, Table A17: Face-to-face intervention services: distribution of gambling control ratings at first assessment, new full clients, Table A18: Face-to-face intervention services: change in dollars lost as a percentage of amount reported lost at initial assessment, reassessed full clients, Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand vii

8 List of Figures Figure 1: Gambling Helpline Ltd: new clients, by type, Figure 2: Gambling Helpline Ltd: information packs distributed to clients, Figure 3: Face-to-face intervention services: total treatment duration, all full clients, Figure 4: Face-to-face intervention services: distribution of SOGS-3M scores at first assessment, new full clients, Figure 5: Face-to-face intervention services: distribution of dollars lost in four weeks before first assessment, new full clients, Figure 6: Face-to-face intervention services: distribution of gambling control ratings at first assessment, new full clients, Figure 7: Gambling Helpline Ltd: primary mode of problem gambling for gamblers and significant others, new clients, 26 2 Figure 8: Gambling Helpline Ltd: primary mode of problem gambling cited by gamblers, new clients, Figure 9: Gambling Helpline Ltd: primary mode of problem gambling cited by significant others, new clients, Figure 1: Face-to-face intervention services: primary mode of problem gambling for gamblers, new full clients, Figure 11: Gambling Helpline Ltd: additional mode of problem gambling for gamblers and significant others, new full clients, Figure 12: Face-to-face intervention services: additional mode of problem gambling for gamblers, new full clients, Figure 13: Face-to-face intervention services: new full clients, by main geographic location (clinic location), Figure 14: Gambling Helpline Ltd: gamblers, new clients, by gender, Figure 15: Gambling Helpline Ltd: significant others, new clients, by gender, Figure 16: Face-to-face intervention services: gamblers, new full clients, by gender, Figure 17: Face-to-face intervention services: significant others, new full clients, by gender, Figure 18: Face-to-face intervention services: primary mode of problem gambling for gamblers, new full clients, by gender, Figure 19: Face-to-face intervention services: dollars lost in four weeks before first assessment, new full clients, by gender, Figure 2: Gambling Helpline Ltd: age distribution of gamblers, new clients, Figure 21: Gambling Helpline Ltd: age distribution of significant others, new clients, Figure 22: Face-to-face intervention services: age distribution of gamblers, new full clients, Figure 23: Face-to-face intervention services: age distribution of significant others, new full clients, Figure 24: Gambling Helpline Ltd: ethnicity of gamblers, new clients, Figure 25: Gambling Helpline Ltd: ethnicity of significant others, new clients, Figure 26: Face-to-face intervention services: ethnicity of gamblers, new full clients, Figure 27: Face-to-face intervention services: ethnicity of significant others, new full clients, Figure 28: Face-to-face intervention services: primary mode of gambling for gamblers, new full clients, by ethnicity, 26 4 Figure 29: Face-to-face intervention services: dollars lost in four weeks before first assessment, new full clients, by ethnicity, Figure 3: Gambling Helpline Ltd: suicidal behaviour, new gamblers and significant others, Figure 31: Face-to-face intervention services: change in SOGS-3M scores, reassessed full clients, viii Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand

9 Figure 32: Face-to-face intervention services, SOGS-3M scores at initial assessment and follow up, reassessed full clients 47 Figure 33: Face-to-face intervention services: change in dollars lost as a percentage of the original loss, reassessed full clients, Figure 34: Face-to-face intervention services: change in control over gambling, by level of control, reassessed full clients, Figure 35: Face-to-face intervention services: change in control over gambling, by rating, reassessed full clients, Figure 36: Face-to-face intervention services: change in SOGS-3M score, reassessed full clients, by degree of treatment completion, Figure 37: Face-to-face intervention services: change in dollars lost as proportion of original loss, reassessed full clients, by degree of treatment completion, Figure 38: Face-to-face intervention services: change in sense of control, reassessed full clients, by degree of treatment completion, Figure 39: Face-to-face intervention services: change in SOGS-3M scores, reassessed full clients, by gender, Figure 4: Face-to-face intervention services: change in dollars lost as proportion of original loss, reassessed full clients, by gender, Figure 41: Face-to-face intervention services: change in SOGS-3M scores, reassessed full clients, by ethnicity, Figure 42: Face-to-face intervention services: change in dollars lost as proportion of original loss, reassessed full clients, by ethnicity, Figure A1: Face-to-face intervention services: change in SOGS-3M score, reassessed full clients, by degree of treatment completion, Figure A2: Face-to-face intervention services: change in dollars lost as proportion of original loss, reassessed full clients, by degree of treatment completion, Figure A3: Face-to-face intervention services: change in sense of control, reassessed full clients, by degree of treatment completion, Figure A4: Face-to-face intervention services: change in SOGS-3M scores, reassessed full clients, by gender, Figure A5: Face-to-face intervention services: change in dollars lost as proportion of original loss, reassessed full clients, by gender, Figure A6: Face-to-face intervention services: change in SOGS-3M scores, reassessed full clients, by ethnicity, Figure A7: Face-to-face intervention services: change in dollars lost as proportion of original loss, reassessed full clients, by ethnicity, Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand ix

10

11 Executive Summary This report presents and summarises the data collected by problem gambling service providers in 26. It provides an overview of clients seeking help via the Gambling Helpline Ltd (the Helpline) and face-to-face outpatient counselling during that period. Ongoing publication of these data allows for the identification of changes over time in the characteristics of clients seeking help for gambling issues. An indication of client progress is presented based on data collection from face-to-face counselling services. Please note the data in this publication do not reflect the prevalence of problem gambling in New Zealand. Trends in services The Gambling Helpline had 2651 new clients in 26. This represents a 7.7% decrease from the number of new clients in 25. Although the decreases in the numbers of new gambler clients (6.7%) and of new significant other clients (1.6%) were not large, the drop in the number of interested other clients (29.2%) was substantial. There was a total of 2685 new full intervention face-to-face clients in 26. This is a 1.4% decrease from the number for 25. The total number of full intervention face-toface clients for 26 was 396, a 3.1% decrease from 25. Adding brief and early intervention face-to-face clients brings the total number of face-to-face intervention clients to 4744 for 26. The average number of visits per day (422.8) to the Gambling Helpline website increased by 52.4% over the 25 level, which itself had increased by 69.1% from 24. The average number of visitors per day (214.6) increased by 12.3% over the level recorded in 25. Talking Point is an online message board with postings from people directly experiencing problems related to gambling. The number of postings made to the site in 26 (4661) is more than double the number made in 25 (2171). Client characteristics Among Helpline gambler clients, casinos (gaming machines and tables) have continued to increase as the primary mode of problem gambling, from 1.2% in 23 to 15.9% in 26; however the percentages are not as high as in 1999 (17.3%). The primary mode of harmful gambling cited by most new gambler full face-to-face clients remained noncasino gaming machines (64.2%). The percentage fell substantially in 26 (from 72.5% in 25). The proportion of new full face-to-face gambler clients who cited casino gaming machines as their primary mode of problem gambling doubled to 17.5% (from 8.7% in 25). The substantial majority (91.9%) of new female gambler face-to-face clients reported their primary mode of gambling as electronic gaming machines (casino and noncasino); the percentage for male gambler clients is somewhat lower (73.3%). Face-to- Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand xi

12 face clients between the ages of 25 and 39 years had noticeably higher SOGS-3M 1 scores than other age groups. Less than half (47.7%) of new gambler clients to the Helpline were New Zealand European/Pākehā. The percentage of new gambler clients that were Māori increased to 3.% and the percentage that were Pacific peoples increased to 1.6%. The percentage of new gambler clients that were Asian dropped to 7.6%. The majority (72.5%) of new significant other clients were New Zealand European/Pākehā. In full intervention face-to-face services, approximately a third of new gambler clients (32.1%) and new significant other clients (29.8%) were Māori. There was a large (26.6%) increase in the proportion of significant other full face-to-face clients who were Māori from 25 to 26. More than eight out of ten female Māori gamblers who were full face-to-face clients (85.6%) cited non-casino gaming machines as their primary mode of harmful gambling in 26. There was a reduction in the absolute number of clients who reported planning suicide (21 in 26, down from 31 in 25). However, a large number of clients (258) thought about, planned, attempted or were currently at risk of suicide in 26. Face-to-face client progress The SOGS-3M score of over half (53.9%) of reassessed clients reduced substantially (with decreases of 6 or more), and they reduced to a lesser extent for a further 31.1% (with decreases between 1 and 5). A small number showed no change (4.3%) or a higher (worse) score (1.7%). Most (84.2%) reassessed clients reported that they had lost less money in the four weeks prior to their reassessment than they had in the four weeks prior to their first assessment. However some clients (15.9%) reported the amount of money lost in the four weeks prior to their reassessment had not changed or had increased. At first assessment, just 22.5% of clients reported being in control or mostly in control of their gambling. At reassessment, this figure had increased to 77.6%. In progress comparisons of reassessment clients in 22 26, significant differences were found in favour of clients who had completed treatment, compared with those who had not. No significant gender differences were found. There was no significant difference between Māori and non-māori in terms of reduced SOGS-3M score from first assessment to reassessment. However, there was a statistically significant difference found in favour of non-māori in terms of a reduction in dollars lost in the four weeks prior to their reassessment compared with the four weeks prior to their first assessment. 1 The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) has been adapted to measure the client s gambling behaviour in the three months prior to assessment (SOGS-3M). A score of 3 or greater indicates a client may be considered a problem gambler (Abbott and Volberg 1991). xii Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand

13 Introduction Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand: 26 Service-user statistics presents national statistics for problem gambling services for the 26 calendar year. This is the tenth national statistics report in this area. It is also the third to be published by Public Health Intelligence, Ministry of Health, since the Ministry of Health assumed responsibility for the funding and co-ordination of problem gambling services on 1 July 24. This document contains data pertaining to the utilisation of services funded by the Ministry of Health s Mental Health Directorate. 2 The purpose of the national statistics report is to provide objective and reliable data about people seeking assistance for their own or someone else s problem gambling through specialist problem gambling treatment services. The annual report of national statistics has proven to be a unique and useful data set in the sector, and it continues to advance the collective knowledge base of gambling harm, including problem gambling. The interventions for problem gambling are similar to those used with other addictive behaviours. Specifically, they range from screening and early intervention approaches through to more specialist interventions for people with moderate to severe problems. For notes on the data and definitions used throughout this report, please see the Technical Notes that follow. Service delivery contributing to national statistics 1. Telephone helpline services Telephone helpline services provide a first point of contact for people experiencing some form of gambling-related harm, either directly or as a result of a significant other s gambling. Such services also provide an avenue for aftercare for those who require ongoing support. Telephone helpline services (and their providers) are: Gambling Helpline (Gambling Helpline Ltd) Asian Gambling Hotline (Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand). 2 Data presented in this report for years prior to 1 July 24 pertain to services funded by the Problem Gambling Committee (PGC), which was established in 1996 and was made up of equal numbers of gambling industry and service provider representatives. The PGC, which finished as a trust in 25, funded problem gambling counselling, helpline services and a number of public health programmes, and was funded by negotiated contributions from the gambling industry. Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand 1

14 Gambling Helpline ( ) Gambling Helpline (the Helpline) is a national free telephone service for problem gamblers, their families/whānau and the general public seeking information about problem gambling. The national service provides direct information and access by phone or other electronic means (Web or ) for screening, brief intervention, referral and follow-up services. The national Helpline also works with other organisations providing psychosocial interventions and support through referrals and an integrated care programme. Helpline services (and their operating hours) include: the main gambling Helpline every day of the year (Monday Friday 8 am 1 pm, Saturday Sunday 9 am 1 pm) Māori Gambling Helpline (Wednesday 5 9 pm, Saturday 8 am 12 noon) Pasifika Gambling Helpline (Tuesday 5 9 pm, Thursday 6 9 pm, Friday 12 noon 4 pm) Youth Gambling Helpline (Monday 5 8 pm) gambling debt and budget counselling and programmes: Gambling Debt Helpline (Saturday 12 noon 4 pm). Clients can ring outside these hours in an emergency and will be connected with help. Asian Gambling Hotline ( ) The Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand (PGFNZ) provides an Asian Gambling Hotline that operates separately from the national Helpline. The Asian Gambling Hotline provides services to Asian clients nationally, in Mandarin, Cantonese and Korean languages. Statistics related to the Asian Gambling Hotline have been presented separately from the Gambling Helpline statistics in this report. 2. Face-to-face intervention services As noted above, strategies to limit problem gambling span the continuum of prevention, from population approaches to individual approaches for those personally affected by gambling harm. A range of face-to-face interventions is required for problem gamblers and their families, in addition to a helpline (see above): these include brief and early interventions in primary health care settings, assessments and specialist services. 2 Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand

15 Psychosocial intervention and support services Brief and early intervention services to target social and health services in primary health care settings provide an important overlap between primary prevention and intervention services, and potentially lessen the need for more intensive services. Prevention activity may include information dissemination, screening, brief interventions and referral. Specialist intervention services include assessment, a range of interventions, active case management, referrals, aftercare, consultation and liaison. Dedicated problem gambling services are provided for Māori, Pacific and Asian service users, their families/whānau and significant others. Providers There are two national providers of face-to-face problem gambling services the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand and the Salvation Army s Oasis Centre for Problem Gambling as well as a number of regional or local providers, including providers of dedicated services for Māori and Pacific peoples. PGFNZ provides Asian services through its Asian team. A full list of providers of psychosocial interventions and support services who provided data for this report is given in the Technical Notes that follow. Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand 3

16 Technical Notes Gambling Helpline Ltd Data Corrections to Gambling Helpline Ltd data The Gambling Helpline data represent individuals who have had their details recorded in the Gambling Helpline database. They do not represent individuals recorded in the separate face-to-face counselling databases of other agencies. Information recorded in website tracking statistics software is also included. To ensure future research is based on the most accurate data available, the annual national statistics reports have each year presented recalculated figures for previous years, to take account of new data and to allow for corrections to any reporting errors. Recalculating results (or data grooming ) also allows analyses to take advantage of improved and more sophisticated methods of data analysis and collection (eg, techniques for removing duplicate records). This approach maximises the integrity of any comparisons with the past. Consequently, some data presented in the 26 report will differ slightly from the same data for previous years contained within the publications for those years. Geographic data Data have been recorded on the Helpline database since the beginning of Prior to 23, cities and other place names were manually typed, allowing spelling mistakes. There is no guarantee that before this date all clients from a particular city or region have been captured in regional analysis statistics. Please note the data presented in the Geographic spread of clients section of this report have been presented differently from the equivalent data in previous reports. Namely, the data have been presented for new gambler and significant other clients; in contrast, in previous years the data also included new interested other clients. The data presented for previous years in this report have been updated to reflect this change. The data have been presented by District Health Board in the Geographic spread of clients section of this report and then again by territorial authority in Table A8 in Appendix 1. Definitions Helpline contacts: the data from the Helpline include people who make contact via phone and via . It should be noted that for the Helpline some clients choose to remain anonymous or not to provide demographic information such as age and ethnicity. Therefore the data reported represent only those demographics where the client has provided this information. 4 Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand

17 Significant other: Family/whānau member, other relative, friend or another concerned about and/or affected by someone else s gambling problem. Interested other: Student, media representative, researcher; anyone besides gamblers and significant others who is interested in information about gambling and gambling problems, including the general public. New client: An individual who has called or ed the Helpline for the first time, based on a check against the Gambling Helpline database. Follow-up contact: A subsequent contact made with a client by phone or . Primary mode: The type of gambling causing the most problems for the gambler/ significant other. Note: for the Gambling Helpline prior to 1 March 2 more than one primary mode could be allocated to a client, and after this date only one primary mode could be allocated. Additional mode(s): Additional types of gambling causing problems for a gambler/ significant other. A client may cite more than one additional mode. Lotto/Keno/Scratchies: Includes different types of Lotto tickets, Big Wednesday tickets, Daily Keno and Instant Kiwi, as well as other scratch and win tickets. Ethnicity: Is self-defined by the client as the one ethnicity with which they identify most, with their response then entered as one of these options: African Asian Chinese Asian Indian Asian Other European or Pākehā New Zealand Māori Pacific peoples Cook Island Maori Pacific peoples Fijian Pacific peoples Other Pacific Islands Pacific peoples Samoan Pacific peoples Tongan Other or multiple ethnicity. These specific categories are condensed into the broader categories of New Zealand European/Pākehā, Māori, Pacific, Asian and Other/Multiple in order to ensure the numbers of contacts in each ethnicity are sufficient to present the data. Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand 5

18 Information pack: Includes a 3-page self-help booklet (either for the gambler or for a significant other, depending on the client), pamphlets about Gambling Helpline with service contact details including specialist services if appropriate depending on the client (eg, Māori, Pasifika, youth and Gambling Debt), contact details for all face-to-face gambling counselling agencies nationally, contact details for Gamblers Anonymous, and a wallet card with the message just for today I will not gamble and the 8 Helpline number on it. Where the person has had a face-to-face counselling session arranged while they are on the phone, that service s pamphlet is also enclosed if available. A client survey is enclosed periodically. In Ya Face: A website ( aimed at young people (12 19 years of age) concerned about their own gambling or that of another (eg, parent, sibling, friend). Talking Point: An online message board ( with postings from people directly experiencing problems related to gambling. Face-to-face intervention services Data Corrections to face-to-face data To ensure that future research is based on the most accurate data available, the annual national statistics reports have each year presented recalculated figures for the previous year. Recalculating results or data grooming is required to take account of new data (eg, data on a client s first ever session), to allow for corrections to any reporting errors, and to take advantage of improved and more sophisticated methods of data analysis and collection. In 24, the data collection was shifted from reliance on paper forms to an electronic process. Analysis is now based directly on the data entered into the Client Information Collection (CLIC) database nationwide. Validation of all CLIC data at data entry has increased the robustness of analysis. The earliest year for which CLIC data were considered sufficiently complete to replace the paper-derived data was 22, so findings prior to 22 are based on the existing published results. One goal of data grooming has been to maximise the integrity of comparisons with the past, but the 22 discontinuity should be noted. 6 Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand

19 Brief and early intervention The face-to-face interventions for problem gambling are similar to those used with other addictive behaviours, ranging from screening and early intervention approaches through to more specialist interventions for people with moderate to severe problems. Over the 25 calendar year, the brief and early intervention category was developed. Some data from this category have been presented in this report; however, most of the face-to-face data presented only include clients who received a full intervention, so that the information remains comparable with previous years. The purpose of brief and early intervention is to lower the barrier to receiving help by providing brief, opportunistic screening, identifying if there is a problem, providing education and discussing the next step with an individual. A client may have a brief and early intervention and then have a full intervention ie, a client may receive both forms of intervention. Definitions Clients: Outpatient client who accesses face-to-face counselling services. Inpatient data are not included in this publication. Full clients: Client who has received a full face-to-face intervention. This definition excludes clients who have received only a brief and early intervention. Significant other: Family/whānau member, other relative, friend or another concerned about and/or affected by someone else s gambling. Brought-forward client: Client who began their face-to-face counselling treatment in previous years. Repeat admission client: Client who was previously discharged but has subsequently presented for further face-to-face counselling treatment. Discharged clients: Client whose treatment has ceased during the year 26. Primary mode: Type of gambling causing the most problems for a gambler or for the person whom a significant other client is concerned about. Additional mode: Additional type of gambling causing problems for a gambler or for the person whom a significant other client is concerned about. A client may cite more than one additional mode. Ethnicity: The respondent first selected up to three types of ethnicity from an extended version of the following list: Chinese (not further defined NFD) Cook Island Maori (NFD) Fijian (except Fiji Indian/Indo-Fijian) Fijian Indian/Indo-Fijian Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand 7

20 Indian (NFD) Korean New Zealand European/Pākehā Māori Niuean Not specified Other (not elsewhere classified) Pacific Island (NFD) Samoan Tokelauan Tongan. Each respondent was then allocated to a single ethnic group using prioritisation in the following order: Māori, Pacific peoples, Asian, Other groups (excluding New Zealand European) and New Zealand European. These categories are used so that the numbers of contacts in each ethnicity are large enough to present reliable data. Please note this ethnicity method is different to that used in previous service-user statistics publications. The data presented here have been recalculated for Reassessment client: A client who contributes to the progress measures, which are based on assessment and reassessment of certain gambler clients. It should be noted that they represent a proportion of the number of clients who have received treatment. There are at least 15 days between the first assessment and the reassessment of each of these clients. SOGS-3M: Adapted from the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS). The SOGS-3M, measures the client s gambling behaviour in the three months preceding the assessment. A score of 3 or greater indicates a client might be a problem gambler (Abbott and Volberg 1991). The higher the score, the more severe the gambling problem is. Dollars lost: The client s estimate of the amount of money they have lost on all gambling in the four weeks preceding the assessment. Control over gambling: The client s own assessment of the degree of control they have over their gambling during the three months preceding the assessment. Treatment duration: The time a client attends services, as measured from first to last client contact. Mann-Whitney U test: A non-parametric version of an unpaired t-test. It is used to measure if the median of one group is different to the median of another group (Shier 24). A p-value of less than.5 (p <.5) indicates a statistically significant difference. This test has been used to analyse comparisons in the face-to-face client progress section. 8 Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand

21 Service providers: The providers who have contributed 26 face-to-face intervention data to this publication via the CLIC database. They are: Best Care Whakapai Hauora Hapai Te Hauora Tapui Hauora Waikato He Oranga Pounamu Nga Manga Puriri Ngati Porou Hauora Oasis (Salvation Army) Odyssey House Pacificare Trust Pacific Peoples Addiction Service Incorporated (PPASI) Problem Gambling Foundation Te Kahui Hauora o Ngati Koata Trust Te Kahui Hauora Trust Te Piringa Te Rangihaeata Oranga Te Rapuora o Te Waiharakeke Trust Te Runanga o Toa Rangatira Toiora TUPU (Waitemata DHB) Wai Health Waikato DHB Wairarapa Addiction Services Whakapai Hauora Best Care Woodlands Trust. Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand 9

22 Trends in Service Use Key findings The Gambling Helpline had 2651 new clients in 26. This total represents a 7.7% decrease from the number of new clients in 25. There was a 14.6% decrease in the number of follow-up contacts in 26, resulting in an overall decrease in Gambling Helpline contacts of 13.5%. For the Gambling Helpline, although the decreases in the numbers of new gambler clients (6.7%) and new significant other clients (1.6%) were not large, the drop in the number of interested other clients (29.2%) was substantial. There was a total of 2685 new full intervention face-to-face clients in 26. This is a 1.4% decrease from the number for 25. The total number of full intervention faceto-face clients for 26 was 396, a 3.1% decrease from 25. Adding brief and early intervention face-to-face clients brings the total number of face-to-face intervention clients to 4744 for 26. The average number of visits per day (422.8) to the Gambling Helpline website increased by 52.4% over the 25 level, which itself had increased by 69.1% from 24. The average number of visitors per day (214.6) increased by 12.3% over the level recorded in 25. Talking Point is an online message board with postings from people directly experiencing problems related to gambling. The number of postings made to the site in 26 (4661) is more than double the number made in 25 (2171). Nearly all (94.6%) new full intervention face-to-face clients had a SOGS-3M score of 3 or greater in their first assessment. The median amount of money that clients lost in the four weeks prior to their first assessment was $8. Over two-thirds (67.1%) of clients rated their gambling as either mostly or completely out of control at their first assessment. Gambling Helpline trends in services Number of clients accessing the Helpline In 23 and 24 small decreases were recorded in the numbers of new clients accessing the Helpline (Figure 1 and Table 1). Then in 25 there was a substantial drop in the number of new clients. This reduction was attributable to substantial drops in the numbers of new gambler clients, new significant other clients and new interested other clients (36.5%, 29.9% and 14.8% respectively). In 26, there were drops in all categories of new clients, resulting in a 7.7% decrease in the overall number of new clients. Specifically, the 26 data show that there were: 163 new gambler clients, a decrease of 6.7% from the 25 level (1747) 8 new significant other clients, a decrease of 1.6% from the 25 level (813) 221 new interested other clients, a decrease of 29.2% from the 25 level (312). 1 Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand

23 Figure 1: Gambling Helpline Ltd: new clients, by type, Number of clients Gambler Significant other Interested other * Year * 1998 figures have not been updated as figures predate the electronic database. Table 1: Gambling Helpline Ltd: number of client contacts and percentage change from previous year, new and follow up, Contact N N % change N % change N % change N % change N % change N % change N % change N % change New contacts/ clients Follow-up contacts Total contacts , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Trends in total contact numbers Consistent with the drop in the numbers of new clients, there was an overall drop in the total number of contacts 3 to the Helpline. In 26, a total of 15,854 contacts were received (Table 1), a decrease of 13.5% below 25 levels. This overall decrease resulted from a 7.7% decrease in the number of new clients, and a 14.6% decrease in the number of follow-up contacts. 3 Contacts include phone calls and s where an update is made to the Helpline database. Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand 11

24 Table 2: Gambling Helpline Ltd: number of clients, by frequency of contact, 26 Frequency of contact Gambler Significant other / interested other Total N % N % N % 1 call only contacts contacts contacts Total Consistent with previous years, in 26 the majority of both categories of new clients to the Helpline made between one and four contacts each (Table 2). However, as has been the case previously, there were differences in the numbers of contacts made by new gambler clients and new significant other / interested other clients. The majority of significant other / interested other clients (75.4%) made just one call each to the Helpline; only 24.6% made two or more contacts. In contrast, 48.4% of new gambler clients in 26 made two or more contacts. Information packs distributed The number of information packs distributed by the Helpline has been decreasing since 22. In 26, 146 information packs were distributed, a drop of 1.6% from the 25 level (1555 packs) (Figure 2). This follows decreases of 5.1% in 25 and 23.4% in 24. Figure 2: Gambling Helpline Ltd: information packs distributed to clients, Number Year Note: The Helpline also distributes information packs to face-to-face counselling agencies, social agencies and the gambling industry. This distribution is not reflected in the figure above. 12 Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand

25 The Helpline website ( has continued to experience rapid growth in its usage in all of the measures reported. The sole exception is average visits per visitor, which have decreased from 2.98 in 24, to 2.62 in 25 and 1.97 in 26 (Table 3). The average number of visits per day (422.8) increased by 52.4% over the 25 level, which itself had increased by 69.1% from 24. The average number of visitors per day (214.6) increased by 12.3% over the level recorded in 25. Table 3: Gambling Helpline Ltd: website statistics, Website statistic Average visits per visitor Average visitors per day Average visits per day Total visits to home page ,849 23,657 Total visitor addresses 15,242 15,132 2,132 38,726 78,333 Total visits 37,672 39,432 6,77 11,29 154,312 Total In Ya Face 1 visits 781 1,88 Total Talking Point 2 postings In Ya Face has been operating since 23; however, website statistics have only been collected from September Talking Point has existed since 21; however, statistics from it were not collected until July 24. The number of actual visits to the In Ya Face website have increased by 38.5% from 25. The number of postings made to the site in 26 (4661) is more than double the number made in 25 (2171). Talking Point was subject to spamming in May, June and July of 26. The introduction of registration in July reduced this problem. Asian Gambling Hotline trends in services In 26, the Asian Gambling Hotline received 736 calls. Of this total, 295 were from new callers (Table 4), a 12.2% increase from 25. This rise appears to be mainly due to a 3.7% increase in new significant other callers (98 in 26, 75 in 25). There was also a small increase in the number of new gambler callers (197, up 4.8% from 188 in 25). Table 4: Asian Gambling Hotline: number of new clients, Type of new client Gambler Significant other Total Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand 13

26 Face-to-face counselling trends in services Number of clients A total of 4744 clients received face-to-face problem gambling counselling services in 26. A proportion of these (17.7%) were brief and early intervention clients only, leaving 396 full intervention clients in 26 (Table 6). Over two-thirds (2685, 68.7%) of these clients had not previously received any face-to-face counselling for gambling problems. These new clients were counted once they had their initial face-to-face appointment. Additional people contacted face-to-face problem gambling services on a one-off basis for information and advice, but did not continue to the stage of a face-to-face appointment and assessment. Data from these people who had no face-to-face contact are not included in this report. The total number of full clients decreased by 3.1% from the 25 levels, and the number of new full clients decreased by 1.4%. The composition of new full clients was similar to that from previous years, with 7.4% being gambler clients, and less than a third being significant other clients (Table 5). While much of the subsequent focus is on the new clients for 26, those full clients who accessed face-to-face counselling services in 26 included 751 brought-forward clients (who had commenced treatment in previous years), and 469 repeat admission clients (who had been previously discharged, but presented again for further treatment). Table 5: Face-to-face intervention services: client composition, new full clients, 26 Type of new client N % Gambler Significant other Total 2685 Table 6: Face-to-face intervention services: total full clients, by client type, Client type N % N % N % N % N % N % N % N % N % N % New clients Broughtforward clients Repeat admission clients Episode started but face-to-face session later Total Notes: 1. Percentages may not total to 1 due to rounding. 2. A dash ( ) indicates that the percentage was suppressed because the count was fewer than five. 3. This table includes gamblers and significant others. 14 Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand

27 Treatment duration A treatment episode is the time span over which a client attends problem gambling services, measured from the initial session to the last client contact. A client may return for another series of sessions at some later point and there may be multiple episodes over time. The 26 data for full clients were very similar to 25 data (Table 7), with most treatment episodes (84.7%) being less than six months in duration. Nearly one in four treatment episodes lasted just one day. Table 7: Face-to-face intervention services: treatment duration, all full clients, Year 1 day 2 days 1 week 1 week 1 month 1 6 months 6 months 1 year Over 1 year N % N % N % N % N % N % Note: Percentages may not total to 1 due to rounding. Hours of treatment received The substantial majority of clients (91.1%) received 1.25 hours or more of treatment (Figure 3). More than half of clients in 26 received between 1.25 and 9.75 hours of treatment. Figure 3: Face-to-face intervention services: total treatment duration, all full clients, 26 4 Percent Note:.7 Under 1 hour 1 hour hours hours hours 2 hours and over Total duration For clients with episodes during 26 this report shows the number of intervention sessions ever ie, it may include sessions prior to 26. Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand 15

28 Distribution of clients SOGS-3M scores at first assessment SOGS-3M scores were collected for 1548 new full clients in 26 at first assessment. A score of 3 or greater was recorded for 94.6% these clients (Figure 4). The average score (9.3) was lower than in previous years (9.6 in 25), and the distribution of scores was slightly skewed towards lower scores in 26. Just under half (49.4%) of the new gambler full clients scored 1 or greater. Figure 4: Face-to-face intervention services: distribution of SOGS-3M scores at first assessment, new full clients, 26 1 Percent SOGS-3M scores Total dollars lost The second progress measure for problem gamblers was total dollars lost. This measure establishes the amount of money the client had lost on all gambling in the four weeks prior to first assessment. The pattern of reported loss in the four weeks prior to entering treatment services has remained relatively constant since Figure 5 shows the data were skewed, so the mean was an inappropriate measure of average amount lost. The median provided a much more accurate indication of average loss of $8 for 26 (Table 8). The total reported losses for the four weeks prior to full clients first assessments was over $5 million. 16 Problem Gambling Intervention Services in New Zealand