Dr Cally Berryman picture above with her partner Alan and Bill Granger is the author of a new book, The Accidental Gambler which sheds light on the dark world of female problem gambling and how women often use gambling to deal with grief, trauma and unresolved issues.
Gamblers have a pre-occupation with gambling. Some escape from problems, boredom, loneliness or anxiety and depression. Cally indicated that this is especially important for women. She also advised that problem gambling indicates an altered brain - it is a mind problem. The brain wants a big burst of dopamines again and again and this forces the person to gamble again and again.
Cally outlined the stages of change to get out of being a gambler. She mentioned help contacts, financial counselling services, gambling blocking software and described treatment options. Unfortunately suicide can be prevalent for gamblers.
She described an interesting facial recognition software that is available at Crown Casino. It relies on the gambler to pre-registering themself and their image.
Cally provided a very interesting insight into gambling and especially its impact on women.