Gambling service gets $200,000

The Peninsula Community Centre will receive a grant of $202,251 to provide counselling and treatment services for problem gamblers and their families over the next two years.

Announcing the grant, the Member for Peats, Ms Marie Andrews, said: "Financial assistance for counselling and treatment services for problem gamblers and their families is one of a series of Government initiatives to alleviate gambling-related harms in the community."

She said other recent Government initiatives included:

- Landmark- legislation to require commercial gaming and wagering activities to be conducted in a manner which minimises the harm to gamblers, their families and friends.

- Legislation to slow the growth in the number of gaming machines by imposing a freeze of at least 12 months duration on the number of gaming machines allowed in the registered clubs.

- Legislation to require the preparation of social impact assessments when clubs seek to increase the number of gaming machines in their premises.

- Legislation prohibiting the establishment of new clubs and hotels containing gaming machines in shopping centres.

Ms Andrews said that this latest Government funding initiative totalled $36 million state-wide and followed more than $30 million which had already been allocated from the Casino Community Benefit Fund.