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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Stephanie Convery

‘I would have had my own house by now’: the devastating effects of a life in thrall to the pokies

An illustration of Aaron Perkins-Kemp-Berger
Aaron Perkins-Kemp-Berger says it took months before he was able to enter a venue containing pokies without panicking after quitting gambling. Illustration: Nash Weerasekera/The Guardian

For four months last year, merely speaking about gambling made Aaron Perkins-Kemp-Berger dry retch.

The 56-year-old had spent most of his life betting, starting out in his home town of Alice Springs, playing “pocket-money games” of cards with other kids, putting down 20c and 50c coins.

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