{"id":105547,"date":"2026-04-12T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/goldenplains\/?p=105547"},"modified":"2026-04-08T20:21:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T10:21:47","slug":"from-the-desk-of-roland-rocchiccioli-70","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/goldenplains\/living\/from-the-desk-of-roland-rocchiccioli-70\/","title":{"rendered":"From the desk of ROLAND ROCCHICCIOLI"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE Federal Government’s announcement of radical changes to gambling advertising is most interesting; however, back in 2012, a joint parliamentary inquiry was advised that counselling for problem gamblers does not work and is a waste of money.<\/p>\n

One would not need to be the one-eyed man in the kingdom of the blind to arrive at that conclusion. Of course it was not going to work. The situation is redolent of King Canute attempting to stop the waves lapping around his feet on the shoreline; however, Canute knew it to be a futile attempt and only performed it to prove a point to his knights.<\/p>\n

For the few years I lived with my mother, Beria, I witnessed the shattering effects of problem gambling. After my parents divorced, my mother married Salinovich\u2014an addicted gambler and, ultimately, an alcoholic of diminished responsibility.<\/p>\n

In my one-man show, ‘Now You Can Eat Father Christmas’\u2014based on my mother’s life in the goldfields\u2014she recalled dealing with his problems: “He was the highest-paid underground machine miner on the goldfields. He always worked on his own; he used to do what they call ‘chase the gold.’ For the first five years of the 1950s, he brought home 250 pounds a fortnight. Twenty-two pounds a fortnight was the basic wage. I used to say to him, ‘Steve, why don’t you save some for a rainy day?’ He thought I was talking about the weather. ‘What you talk? Rainy day! What rainy day? We don’t have no rainy day.’<\/p>\n

‘Oh, for God’s sake, Steve, how many times do I have to tell you? It’s just an expression. It means put some away for later.’<\/p>\n

He scoffed. ‘Phew! No one is gonna spend my money.'”<\/p>\n

He gambled every penny of it, and more. At the Sons of Gwalia mine, he was paid every second Friday afternoon; more often than not, by Saturday lunchtime, he’d have lost the lot down at Dickey Bates’ betting shop \u2014 and it was always someone else’s fault.<\/p>\n

Certainly, there needs to be a reduction in the number of advertisements one sees; however, some of the proposals require a more measured approach. Restrictive trade is problematic, and governments should not be legislating to stop celebrities from earning a living. Advertisements are simply one of the perks of being a public figure. To argue that celebrities are role models for others\u2014especially children\u2014is nonsense; if that is truly the case, it suggests a lack of parental efficacy. Parents, not footballers, should be the role models, regardless of how talented the athlete may be.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, are they going to apply the same stringent legislation to alcohol? It would not be drawing a long bow to suggest that alcohol and gambling are inextricably linked.<\/p>\n

A calculation based on Salinovich’s earnings and hypothetical investments in the 1950s suggests my mother would, at the time of her death in 2007\u201455 years after the event\u2014have been worth between $40 million and $60 million. For five years, he gambled the equivalent of $800,000 a year.<\/p>\n

The current endeavour is to be applauded, as gambling is one of the “wicked problems” that destroys the fabric of society. However, the government is attempting to close the stable door long after the horse has bolted. Gambling is a problem, but we must start by educating the adults of tomorrow.<\/p>\n

Contact: rolandroc@bigpond.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE Federal Government’s announcement of radical changes to gambling advertising is most interesting; however, back in 2012, a joint parliamentary inquiry was advised that counselling for problem gamblers does not work and is a waste of money. One would not need to be the one-eyed man in the kingdom of the blind to arrive at […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":153,"featured_media":105548,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-105547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-living"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFrom the desk of ROLAND ROCCHICCIOLI - Golden Plains Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Roland Rocchiccioli explores the impact of gambling advertising reform and the personal toll of addiction on families and society.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/goldenplains\/living\/from-the-desk-of-roland-rocchiccioli-70\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From the desk of ROLAND ROCCHICCIOLI - 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