Te Roopu Tautoko ki te Tonga co-ordinator Jerry Banse (left) and Problem Gambling Foundation counsellor Thomas Moore. Photo by Peter McIntosh.
That's the sage advice from Problem Gambling Foundation counsellor Thomas Moore at a Gamble Free Day event at Arai te Uru Marae last week.
While people became adept at hiding gambling problems from those closest to them, they could never hide from the reality of their bank statement.
By far the most addictions involved poker machines, and in one Dunedin case a person had spent $20,000 during a four-week period.
"Who in Dunedin could afford to lose $20,000 through gambling?" he asked.
Particularly at risk of addiction problems were those in need of a diversion from their everyday life and his advice for those people - "you can't get hooked if you don't play".
