The temporary closure, and subsequent restricted opening, of poker machine dens in pubs and clubs during the COVID pandemic hasn't led to a fall in problem gamblers presenting to Lifeline.
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Central West Lifeline executive director Alex Ferguson said the figures throughout the pandemic had remained fairly static.
"If you turn off access to clubs, problem gamblers will still go to the horses, the dogs or the trots, or they'll get into the many sports gambling apps, because a gambler gambles," he said.
"They don't just go away and start attending church. They will find another avenue."
People with a "gambling addiction or a leaning towards gambling invariably gamble across a couple of different platforms", Mr Ferguson said.
"That's why some of the arguments wheeled out around poker machines are a little bit puerile ... I quite often see people who are at Cash Housie go and play the poker machines at half-time.
"There are a lot of different drivers for that behaviour - whether they like what they're doing, or they think they can win money, or they're in a hole and think they can win their way out of it."
Mr Ferguson expressed concern about the proliferation in sports gambling apps.
"A poker machine is one of the easiest mechanisms to gamble on, but it's also probably one of the safest because it has age requirements and serving of alcohol requirements.
"With the apps people can do it at home and there is no visibility."
Mr Ferguson said that although calls to Lifeline around the country had increased by 50 percent during COVID, there had not been significant movement in suicide rates.
"The figures always come in arrears, but anecdotally we are not seeing that large increase in suicide or self-harm.
"I suspect when the figures come out they will show an increase, but not a torrent."
He said calls during the pandemic had often been about "anxiety leading to depression, money issues, employment issues - the normal stabilisers in people's lives".
* If you need to talk to someone, you can call Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue Australia on 1300 22 4636.