Friday, March 23, 2007

A performance by a Korean cultural group will open an event to mark the
launch of a campaign to prevent problem gambling at the Fickling Centre in
Mt Roskill at 2pm on Friday. The event organized by the Problem Gambling
Foundation Asian Team precedes a national campaign which kicks off this
Sunday ( 25 March ) with a 30 second television advertisement which
encourages New Zealanders to think about problem gambling, who it affects,
and the impact it has on communities. John Wong, manager of the PGF Asian
services team said that problem gambling affected the lives of many Asian
Kiwis. "Every week we deal with families devastated by gambling harm." he
said. 'This campaign is a much needed effort to get people to realise that
everyone is affected by problem gambling - our families, neighbours, and
workplaces." The Mt Roskill event will include the presentation of community
awards to acknowledge the support and contribution of Asian community
leaders and media in combating problem gambling. The campaign will be
explained and a preview of the television advertisements will be shown
followed by a forum where MPs will discuss how gambling harm can be
eliminated in the Asian community. Mr Wong said, "We want our communities to
know how they can get involved and take action to address this problem."
"There are things people can do to keep themselves and their loved ones safe
from gambling harm."