Since 1 July 2004, the Ministry of Health has been responsible for developing and implementing the ‘integrated problem gambling strategy focused on public health’ that is described in section 317 of the Gambling Act 2003.
The Strategy to Prevent and Minimise Gambling Harm 2019/20 to 2021/22 is the latest of those strategy documents. The strategy sets out the Ministry’s approach to and budget for funding and coordinating services to prevent and minimise gambling harm during the three year period starting 1 July 2019.
The strategy was developed following a comprehensive consultation process with groups and individuals that included people with experience of gambling harm, problem gambling harm service providers, the gambling industry and other stakeholders with an interest in gambling harm.
The activities included in the Strategy comprise public health services, intervention and support services, research, evaluation and workforce development.
The strategy is divided into sections as follows
- Section 2 sets out the strategic framework from 2019/20 to 2021/22. This covers the Ministry’s approach to preventing and minimising gambling harm, high level objectives and priorities for action that form the strategic context for the three-year service plan. This section also provides relevant context about the strategy, the nature of gambling and related harms and the public health approach to gambling harm
- Section 3 covers the Ministry’s service plan for the three-years from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2022 and sets out the Ministry’s service priorities to prevent and minimise gambling harm and the budgeted costs of those services
- Section 4 covers the problem gambling levy rates for the three-year period corresponding to the term of the service plan and describes the process by which those rates were calculated.
The strategy and new problem gambling levy regulations take effect on 1 July 2019.