Australia is addicted to gambling. The profits of pokies first and most obviously flow to the casinos, pubs and clubs that own licences to run them. When the chance of landing a jackpot on a poker machine is literally one in 35,640,000, the real jackpot is holding the licence to collect the losses.
In Australia, Gambling Help Online is available on 1800 858 858 and through live chat. The National Debt Helpline is at 1800 007 007. The crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14
This article was originally published by Theguardian.com. Read the original article here.