Community Guidelines

These are the guidelines by which our community runs, to ensure it is a safe environment for all.

We have developed these guidelines based on our experience over the years of facilitating the community, with every member’s best interest in mind. Many of us are working hard not to gamble. These guidelines are designed to assist in this being a sanctuary to support this change.

The Gambling Help Online forum is a free, confidential space for people in Australia to communicate with, and be supported by, peers whilst on the journey towards regaining control over their gambling. It is a supportive environment for people who share similar experiences, one where they can feel confident to talk about their stories and helpful strategies.

To maintain our community environment, we ask that you consider the following when posting -

• Keep it respectful – Be kind to one another.
  Never discriminate, defame or belittle others. This includes but isn’t exclusive to offensive statements based on race, sex, religion or ethnicity. Offensive words will be filtered.
• Be supportive – Consider the feelings of others.
  Bullying, hostility, embarrassment or trolling of other members or facilitators will not be tolerated. Do not promote personal beliefs in a way that is offensive to others.
• Stay anonymous – Staying anonymous allows you to post openly and honestly.
  You should not share information about yours or others’ full name, email or post address, workplace, or any other identifiable information.
• Focus on recovery – Consider the experience of yourself and other members.
  Do not promote gambling of any kind or in any capacity, or any money access schemes which could fuel the gambling of others.
• Recognise others’ triggers – While triggers can vary depending on the individual, there are some common topics which can be difficult when managing urges or maintaining change.
  We aim to minimise this by asking that the following are avoided:
  • Mentioning the specific amount of a win – instead we ask that you use general statements such as “a big win”.
  • Being over-descriptive about types of gambling. Please use general statements like “pokies”, “betting” and “gaming”, rather than machine names, or styles of betting.
  • Talking about odds and jackpot amounts. Please don’t describe specifically what odds are/were.
  • Graphic or specific details of self-harm, suicide or violent actions
• This is a peer space – The forums are a place for communication among peers. Any commercial or professional advice from anyone except for our facilitators will be removed. This includes legal, financial or medical advice, SPAM activity, or posts demonstrating commercial interests.
  Research requests / recruitment need to gain ethical approval before posting.
  Individuals are only to have one account.

We understand problems with content are usually a mistake. If there’s a major issue with your post, we may need to remove it. If this does happen, we will send you private message with a suggestion on how you could rephrase a new post.

From time to time people accessing the forum may be experiencing suicidal thoughts. While getting support is important, graphic or specific details of self-harm, suicide or violent actions could be distressing for others and so will not be allowed. It’s important that if you feel at risk of harming yourself in anyway, you contact the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467, or Lifeline on 13 11 14. If you are in immediate danger please call 000. Note that these forums are not a crisis or counselling service.

Facilitators

Though we prefer to take a back seat in conversations, facilitators are always here to assist with any questions you may have, and to ensure the community guidelines are adhered to - helping everyone get the most from their time here. You can also get in touch by sending a private message to the account named The Team.

Something doesn't seem right? Reporting posts

If there is something which you feel breaches these guidelines, concerns you, or doesn’t feel right for you, press the ‘!’ button above the post to report it to a facilitator.

We very much look forward to hearing from you and seeing you around the forums soon.