Is online gambling a pitfall for Christmas?
THE rising popularity of online gambling will see more people take to their smart phones and computers in an attempt to win big this Christmas.
Gambling Help Service counsellor Lesley Spring said being able to experiment and gamble online from their homes appealed to some gamblers and was likely to attract people who wouldn't otherwise gamble.
"This can be dangerous for some people because they don't have friends to say 'maybe you have spent enough' and they can lose track of time and how much they've spent," she said
Mrs Spring said gambling was now accessible to children who were able to get hold of their parents' credit cards, which could be increasing their chances of developing gambling problems later in life.
And it seems the problem is only going to increase over time.
"Online and sports gambling is more accessible and the number of people using it is increasing," she said.
"It will continue to increase as technology advances."
Christmas and the New Year were often peak times for gambling and Mrs Spring said it was often seen as a way to handle the financial stresses of the season.
"It increases because people have a misconceived perception they can win and they will be able to afford the presents or pay the credit card bills," she said.
"However, what they actually end up doing is losing more money."
