WELLINGTON, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand government announced on Friday its updated national strategy to prevent and minimize gambling harm, as about 5 percent of the country’s population experiences gambling harm, Associate Minister of Health Jenny Salesa said on Friday.

“Gambling harm is a serious mental health issue. This work is directly linked to the wellbeing of New Zealanders and supports healthier and safer communities,” said Salesa who launched the new strategy at South Seas Healthcare Clinic in Otara, South Auckland.

“Currently about 5 percent of New Zealand’s population experiences some level of individual gambling harm, and one in five New Zealanders will be affected by their own or someone else’s gambling during their lifetime,” Salesa said.

The government has allocated 60.3 million NZ dollars (40.4 million U.S. dollars) over three years for the new strategy, including an additional 5 million NZ dollars to pilot new services and support innovation to improve equities.

“Improving equities for Maori, Pacific and Asian communities, which are disproportionately impacted by gambling harm, is a key focus of the new strategy,” she said.

In the report of the Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction, gambling was seen as harmful due to its addictive nature and the financial stress and anxiety it causes families, contributing to neglect of children and family violence, Salesa said.

“Gambling harm levels have reduced substantially compared with 25 years ago, however, they have plateaued in the last five years,” she said.

“While many New Zealanders gamble occasionally without any harmful effects, for those who do experience harm from their or someone else’s gambling, these harms can be significant,” she added.

The cost of the strategy is recovered by a problem gambling levy paid by non-casino gaming machine operators, casinos, the New Zealand Racing Board and New Zealand Lotteries Commission, according to Salesa. Enditem

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