Alliance for Gambling Reform
The Alliance For Gambling Reform is addressing gambling addiction and the impact of poker machines by facilitating community education and outreach across Australia. The Alliance hopes to raise funds for a digital media campaign and community materials, providing vital support and information to the areas of Australia that need it the most.
2015 Pitch
Funds raised: $41,650
In October 2015, Alliance for Gambling Reform presented their outreach program at The Funding Network in Sydney and raised $41,650 to produce a detailed 'Ka-Ching! community screening kit' to help community organisers to maximise the impact of their events.
The impact...
Community organisers face three common challenges: engaging citizens in the determination of community priorities, providing strategic leadership and harnessing the collaborative potential of local resources. Using Alliance for Gambling Reform's film 'Ka-Ching' as the focal point, Louise Ferry of Ballarat Community Health was able to turn a community screening into an impactful force to challenge and change attitudes to pokies in her community. Louise drew local organisations such as Salvation Army, Ballarat Council and the Central Highland Primary Care Partnership together and, with their support and some careful timing to capitalise on new data, the screening generated local media coverage before and after the event. The Mayor spoke alongside former gamblers, leaving the audience deeply moved and ready to support reform in the poker machine industry.
Over the past 12 months, AGR have supported 26 community film screenings (smashing its original target of 15): promoting events, sourcing speakers and planning crucial post-film audience engagement. Over 1000 people have seen the film - including hard-to-reach CALD groups as well as key social influencers such as AFL club presidents, superfund directors and politicians. You can see the trailer here...
115,000 people use poker machines 'heavily' - that's 115,000 under financial, physical and psychological pressure that bleeds into the families and communities around them. Reaching as many of these people as possible helps bring about the attitudinal shifts and eventually, law reform required to address the burden of excessive gambling.
Read their Impact Report