Jake Van Berlo was popular, outgoing and good at everything he did. Whether it was sport or school, he nailed it.
Key points:
- A new study has found 4 per cent of suicides in Victoria between 2009 and 2016 were gambling-related
- Researchers believe the number is a lot higher, because people are often ashamed of their gambling habit and don’t tell their loved ones about it
- Victoria will have the strictest gaming rules in Australia by the end of the year
So when he spent his entire apprentice wage on poker machines in an hour-long lunchbreak, he felt like a failure.
He died by suicide 12 years ago, which his parents said was linked to his gambling problem.
A landmark independent study released last week by Federation University senior…
