A potentially breakthrough program and app in the war on gambling addiction is being rolled out for trial. Developed by New Zealand’s National Institute for Health Innovation at its Auckland University, the 12-week application forms part of a country-wide study aimed at determining whether an application of this nature can help those individuals struggling with addictive behaviour to cut down on time spent gambling, or even to completely quit gambling as a pastime.
The application, called Manaaki, is the result of a combined effort by Auckland University, Australia’s Deakin University, and local Kiwi-based social support organisation Hapai Te Hauora.
The purpose and specific time frame of the application and its release are two-fold, explains Gayl Humphrey, who is at the lead of the institute-driven study. It’s firstly a support package aimed at helping those struggling to contain their gambling habits, and secondly, an app released at an opportune time in terms of helping those experiencing problem-gambling behaviour because of ample excess time suddenly at their disposal as a result of stay-at-home orders and health and safety guidelines. Last-mentioned motivator according to an opinion voiced by Stephanie Erick, who is the manager of Hapai Te Hauora.
The result of nation-wide health-focused guidelines has been that of a major decline in in-person gambling activities. Gamblers have not been at liberty to leave their homes for anything other than essential goods and services, which has in turn had a massive impact on casino player numbers. Online gambling, on the other end, has witnessed a massive increase in business support for the exact same reason.
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