An increasingly blurred line between gaming and gambling is harming young people, says the Problem Gambling Foundation (PGF).

New tools for secondary schools are being produced to help counter the impacts, as part of a partnership between PGF and Tūturu, a secondary schools’ programme run by the NZ Drug Foundation Te Puna Whakaiti Pāmamae Kai Whakapiri.

PGF’s Director of Advocacy and Public Health Andrée Froude says early exposure to gambling behaviours can lead to long-term harm.

“Loot boxes, designed to mimic gambling, are a common feature in many video games such as Counter-Strike, with players paying to receive randomised items, weapons, or upgrades. A 2017 study found that nearly half of loot boxes reviewed were considered gambling-like.”

Tūturu works to increase students’ resilience and critical thinking skills, build pastoral care pathways, and improve school environments to keep young people engaged in school. The programme provides curriculum materials and other resources to schools and builds collaboration between secondary schools and local health providers.

Earlier this year Mapu Maia, a charity that supports Pasifika communities in preventing gambling harm, flagged unregulated online gambling as a growing concern. It reported school counsellors and social workers were increasingly seeking help for young people gambling online, with some students spending thousands of dollars of their parents’ money.

The Problem Gambling Foundation has put together a fact sheet to help parents talk to young people about gambling.

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