The APS recognises that there are many causes and consequences of gambling-related harm. Effective interventions for gambling-related harm need to both reduce the potential for harm to the individual gambler and his or her family, and address broader social, community, political and economic factors.
The APS has developed a number of resources, including a Position Statement (2012) and Review Paper (2010), based on major developments in understanding gambling from a psychological perspective, along with a special issue of InPsych (October 2010) on the psychology of gambling.
The APS recommends stronger electronic gaming machine (EGMs) consumer protection measures: reducing the number of EGMs and caps per community or location; providing information to consumers about products, such as costs per hour; limiting access to cash and reducing operating hours of machines; and the introduction of an effective policy of mandatory pre-commitment. The APS also recommends measures to minimise the normalisation of gambling, particular that linked with sport and online betting.
The APS has been invited to provide evidence at several public hearings and has contributed a series of submissions to gambling-related government inquiries.