The mayors of five key councils in the state of Victoria which have actively been part of the process of dealing with problem gambling are joining a group that has urged for a reform brought in the regulation of local poker machines ahead of the upcoming state election.
The group headed by Tim Costello, The Alliance for Gambling Reform, was joined by the mayors of Whittlesea, Moreland, Yarra, Wyndham and Darebin who will back its 2018 election platform. Mr. Costello welcomed the commitment of the five councils’ mayors to the cause of fixing the problem related to pokies.
For the time being, a record number of eighteen municipal councils have signed up to The Alliance for Gambling Reform for the upcoming fiscal year. In comparison, there were twelve councils which joined the alliance in the 2016/2017 financial year.
Earlier today, the alliance revealed a number of policies which it is set to follow, including an engagement to reduce the maximum bet limits on Victoria’s pokies from AU$5 to AU$1 and also reducing the late trading hours for pubs that offer poker machines. According to Mr. Costello’s group and its supporters, such a policy would help the state of Victoria to significantly lower the rising levels of gambling-related harm and spreading gambling addiction in the local communities.
The leader of The Alliance for Gambling Reform, Mr. Costello, blamed the successive Governments of the state for being terrified by the gambling industry and for relying on what he called easy money generated from gambling taxes.
Anti-Gambling Group Seeks to Minimise State Pokie Losses
The move has come at a time when the local regulatory authority is expected to bring some details regarding state pokie losses to light. According to preliminary estimates, state poker machine losses have increased by approximately AU$90 million reaching almost AU$2.7 billion over the twelve months ended on June 30th. According to anti-gambling campaigners, this has been the largest increase in Victorian pokie losses on a year-on-year basis since the after-effects of the Global Financial Crisis and the period right after it.
Currently, in the Australian state of Victoria, there are approximately 27,000 pokies which offer a bet limit of AU$5. Eight years ago, in a report issued in 2010, the Productivity Commission made a recommendation for the bet limit to be changed to AU$1, with the gambling addicts’ share of total gaming machine losses on the territory of Australia being about 40%.
The proposal for the AU$1 bet limit on pokies has also been supported by the Australian Greens Victoria party members who said that something must be done in order to reduce pokie losses. According to Matthew Guy, the opposition leader, further steps must be taken in order to improve the anti-gambling campaign, so that more people get familiar with the risks associated with gambling and possible gambling harm.
- Author
Daniel Williams
