Gambling with a father's love

---

Gambling addicts pump millions of dollars into poker machines every week. One of them, Brisbane woman Lyndsay Biagent, took money from her family and sent her elderly father broke.

"He had great plans for his retirement. Money that he spent a lifetime saving I blew in 12 months," she said.

"I spent money from our family accounts and certainly drained our bank accounts and got money from anywhere I could.

Related stories

• Scams at the pokies
• No pokie features in this town

"It was when I spent the last of my dad's money that my world came tumbling down because I had to look at the man I absolutely adore and tell him 'by the way dad, I've spent your money'."

Lyndsay's gambling addiction spiralled out of control and threatened to tip her right over the edge until she was pulled back by the love and understanding of her father Alex Guthrie.

She stole $250,000 from him, every last cent of his retirement nest egg.

"I knew she was gambling but not to the extent that she would blow all my savings," he said.

"You can replace money but you can't replace trust."

Gambling is a national scourge. There are 200,000 poker machines in Victoria that take more than $10 billion a year.

The Victorian Government is reviewing its poker machine policy.

Phil Ryan is a former gambling company executive blowing the whistle to a government inquiry.

"There is usually 10 people impacted for every problem gambler that's created," he said.

It is a story he cannot repeat outside the protection of parliamentary privilege.

Mr Ryan accused pokie operators of reaching secret deals to manipulate license renewals; owned and operated ATMs to feed off problem gamblers, and rejected technology available to identify and stop addicts from gambling.

Lyndsay knows how gambling companies cash in on addicts with some offering free accommodation, chances to win big prizes, free child care and even free groceries.

"I know that we choose to gamble but at the height of our addiction, to be honest we don't know what we do. To protect people who are in a vulnerable place is an honourable thing to do," she said.

"Families all around the country are suffering from people gambling and it's about time someone did something to help people who have this addiction."

One of the outcomes Phil Ryan hopes for is the introduction of identity keys that gamblers need to be plug into machines before they can be played.

"Players are given one of the devices free. They set a limit which they feel is a reasonable limit that they can lose in a day a week or a month," Mr Ryan said.

Lyndsay is not waiting for governments to act. She is started a web-based support network so others can benefit from her experience.

With her addiction behind her, she said she is one of the lucky ones.

"It was just really lovely to come clean and not have to live a life of lies," she said.

"If you could visualise having big sand bags removed off my shoulders, that's exactly what it was like."

Related links

Lyndsay's website
www.essentiallyforwomen.com.au

Gamblers' Anonymous
The service provides help to people through attendance at GA meetings. If gambling is causing you problems, get more information at www.gamblersanonymous.org.au

Support Services For Problem Gambling
List of support services