From CourierMail.com.au on February 27, 2010:

A third of the nation's problem gamblers are women as gambling becomes increasingly "feminised", a Queensland researcher has warned.

AUSTRALIA -- In a paper to be published in the journal Tourism Analysis, Dr Timothy Lee says women account for nearly two-thirds of poker machine use in Australia.
He also argues women progress more rapidly into problem gambling than men.

Although Dr Lee, who is a lecturer at the University of Queensland, does not recommend winding back gaming activities, he has called for harm minimisation measures.

These measures include installing clocks in gaming areas, using natural light and offering non-gaming activities in poker machine venues.

The Productivity Commission has also examined gambling and addiction, with a final report handed to the Federal Government yesterday and due to be released publicly once the Government has considered it.

Draft recommendations released last year attracted protests from hotels and clubs, which claimed many venues would face financial collapse.
 
By Melanie Christiansen