12,000 pokie players contemplate suicide each year: Oz study

MELBOURNE - More than 12,000 people in Victoria contemplate suicide each year due to their problems with poker machine gambling, a 12-month study suggests.

The study, which consisted of 15,000 Victorians, found that the prevalence of problem gambling in Victoria was the worst Down Under, reports News.com.au.

‘A Study of Gambling in Victoria Problem Gambling’ from a Public Health Perspective was commissioned by the Department of Justice.

The research found that more than 27 per cent of problem gamblers and 6 per cent of moderate risk gamblers admitted to considering taking their own lives.

“Results also revealed that problem gamblers were significantly more likely to have considered taking their own life compared to moderate risk gamblers and were also significantly more likely to have done something that is technically against the law,” the study found. (ANI)