Joy was not the only member of Garys family to have begged the Dee Why RSL to intervene to curb his gambling. His wife Sonia says she had twice appealed to a manager at Dee Why to step in, once last December and again in January or February.
Im not the carrying on and sobbing type, but I was then, Sonia recalls.
She received the same response as Joy: under the NSW self-exclusion regime, Gary would have to ban himself. In essence, Sonia would have to convince Gary to have himself excluded.
The Dee Why RSL has been a focal point for the Van Duinens, as it is for so many other locals. They ate and drank and met friends there. They saw bands and danced and celebrated family occasions there. They played the pokies there.
Looking back now, Sonia s…
Read the full article at: https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/gary-went-on-a-13-hour-gambling-binge-by-the-time-his-family-raised-the-alarm-it-was-too-late-20180701-p4zov1.html