Tag: gambling reform

Gambling Reform Needed More Than Ever – The Facts Are Overwhelming!

Ka-Ching! Pokie Nation first exposed us to how truly insidious pokies really are – opening our eyes to the extent of corruption that keeps these addiction machines in circulation whilst actively growing their numbers and the number of regular players.
These players are the future addicts and contributors to the almost $5 billion a year that the Australian Government makes from Gambling tax and related revenue.

stop the con and support gambling reform and pokie reform to improve the lives of all Australians

And as the stats continue to break new records and put Australia on top of the biggest losers pile the evidence for a need for gambling reform grows exponentially. In fact this article posted yesterday on RSLPokies.com reveals how Australia have smashed all previous records, losing a record $23 billion in the last financial year – check out the article HERE

Australians Lose More Per Capita Than Any Other Nation

Australians lost more than $1200 each through gambling last year, according to fresh figures. We know that behind the averages, many of those who lose the most can least afford it. These are shocking numbers, laying bare the extent of social harm done by gambling.

The data from Australian Gambling Statistics reveals Australian punters lost almost $23 billion last year, $5.8 billion in Victoria. While there has been an explosion in sports betting, up 30 per cent, by far the biggest cause of gambling losses is poker machines, which alone are responsible for $11.6 billion down the drain. This, as public health expert Dr Charles Livingstone says, is the “600-pound gorilla of Australian gambling”.

But It’s The Pokies We Need To Be Wary Of

poker machines suck the most money from problem gamblersMore than 75 per cent of those directly experiencing harm from gambling use poker machines. It is in this sector that gaming reform advocates such as Tim Costello, Senator Nick Xenophon and MP Andrew Wilkie have long called for reforms including $1 maximum bets and mandatory pre-commitment on poker machines. Banning the practice of credit betting – gambling with money that you don’t even have – has recently been added to this list.

OnlinePokies.com.au supports these reforms and urges the federal and Victorian governments to enact them, showing a genuine commitment to reducing the harm caused by problem gambling. Just as the amounts of money lost to gambling have grown rapidly in recent years, so too has our understanding of this behaviour. We know now that many who gamble are addicts and that gambling irresponsibly has a drastic impact on not just the punter, but also the wider community, in particular their families and friends.

 

Sports betting has rapidly drawn a younger cohort to gambling. Anyone with a smart phone can bet anywhere, any time, and the many different ways to bet on sporting fixtures is dizzying. All of this is also aggressively marketed. Calls for reforms are not wowserism or the thin edge of the wedge towards banning gambling outright. It has been well established that prohibition is an ineffective way to minimise harm in the case of addiction. Regulation and education are far better ways to reduce the damage to the individual and the community, as the internationally recognised success of this nation’s long-standing policy to reduce tobacco smoking demonstrates.

While there has been some welcome action, such as the Victorian government’s recent ban on betting ads near schools and public transport, successive governments have stopped short of bigger changes, particularly around pokies.

The X-Men of Pokie Reform Can Only Do So Much…

It is fair for critics such as Xenophon and Costello to argue governments have failed on gambling reform. While governments continue to benefit so directly from pokies, they leave themselves open to charges that self-interest is behind their lack of will to act. The politics of pokies is as insidious as the machines themselves.

pokies-and-gaming-machine-revenue-2008The Government are actually the biggest pokie addicts of them all – and THAT is a problem
Governments are metaphorically addicted to money from gambling. In Victoria, for example, about $2.5 billion a year is lost to electronic gaming machines, of which $1 billion goes to the government – representing close to 10 per cent of the entire tax take.

 

There is a desperate need to combat this problem. Xenophon is committed to reintroducing his proposed gaming legislation, which will include limiting advertising and banning credit betting. Human Services Minister Alan Tudge has also promised to introduce legislation, and we urge the government to commit to genuine reforms.

The financial losses and social harm caused by problem gambling are undeniable – and are fuelled by addiction, not healthy social behaviour.

What Can You Do?

If you want to make a difference and have your voice heard then the best thing you can do is join the Alliance for Gambling Reform and add your signature to the growing list of Australians who have had enough and want to see positive chance for the first time in our illustrious pokie history

Follow the link and/or image below to add your name to the growing list and tell the government once and for all that ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

the case for pokies and gambling reform is overwhelming

I stand against Poker Machines Designed to Addict!

 

A New Lease on Life for Gambling Reform?

As the subject of pokies and gambling reform is put on the table we see a glimmer of hope. But with a history of practical reforms being thrown out and ignored by a government (who are actually more addicted to the pokies and assocaited tax revenue than any individual) it seems we are heading into yet another ‘Ground Hog Day’ of Australian pokies and gambling reform.

As Andrew Wilkie and Nick Xenophon join forces and vow to take their Anti-Pokies stance with them to the marginal seats in the next election (which experts say is less than 2 years away) it seems the “potent issue” of pokies and gambling reform will be more relevant and topical than ever before.
But with a history of practical reforms being thrown out and ignored by a government (who are actually more addicted to the pokies and assocaited tax revenue than any individual) it seems we are heading into yet another ‘Ground Hog Day’ of Australian pokies and gambling reform.

Original story and source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-19/xenophon,-wilkie-to-take-pokies-fight-to-marginal-seats/7642218

Wilkie & Xenophon Join Forces – But Will Common Sense Prevail?

wilkie and xenophone join forces for pokie and gambling reform

The above image comes from the Lateline video interview of which you can view the whole thing –> HERE

Independents Nick Xenophon and Andrew Wilkie have warned the major parties they will start targeting marginal seats in their fight against gambling.

Senator Xenophon told Lateline that the next election could be just two years away and their campaign could make a difference, making the following comment to Lateline:

“This has to be seen as a marginal seats campaign to target those seats for the next election, which according to some reports could be only two years away, to actually make this an issue that will actually swing the outcome of seats in key electorates,”

It’s Not Like They Want to Blow Up The Pokies!

If you looked at how much money, time and energy the gambling lobbyists and those with ties to the revenue stream have invested over the last decade in continued attempts to quash the opinions of Wilkie and Xenophon you would think that maybe these two independent senators are trying to get rid of the pokies altogether. I could understand a drastic reaction to a request to ‘Blow Up The Pokies’ or something but the fact this has been the reaction when all these two have tried to do is apply common sense and logic to a growing problem so that the ‘pokies’ can remain.

Actually, the length and cost to which these companies will go says a lot about their commitment to grow problem gambling and the associated revenue in this country MoM and YoY.

Because what Andrew Wilkie and Nizk Xenophon are proposing is actually a great idea and is undeniably the most logical and well thought out way forward – the mere fact our own government keeps rejecting these proposals is evidence enough that the corruption and greed of pokie tax has long but blinded our government and effectively bound their hands from ever doing anything positive or constructive.

Thankfully Mr Wilkie and Mr Xenophon can still see clearly and have not been corrupted by the money streams and power players because their suggestions are quite…BRILLIANT.

Senator Xenophon and Mr Wilkie Want:

  • a $1 bet limit on poker machines – This is not the first time this proposal has been put forward – the last few times it was rejected by a government too interested in the revenue stream and not even mildly concerned about the long term impact it would have (See our History of the $1 Betting Limit article –> HERE)
  • A ban on gambling ads during sports broadcasts. –> INterestingly this does not include casino advertising as they can advertise their food and hotel business features without mentioning the casino floor. This is a BULLSHIT loophole as most casino names are affilited with gambling and the connection is naturally made anyway.
  • They also want to reinstate a joint select committee on gambling reform. – One that is not easily corrupted or bought out!

“There’s one thing the gambling lobby can’t compete with no matter how many millions they pour into the campaign, the fact is there are literally hundreds and thousands of Australians hurt by gambling addictions,” he said. “Conservatively, one in 10 Australians are being affected by gambling addiction in this country and that’s a very significant constituency that can’t be ignored.”

Mr Wilkie said political donations from big gaming companies should be scrutinised.

“We need reform of political donations generally and we need to do what we can to shine a light with the current laws with where the money’s coming from and where it’s going,” he said.

Follow this story and the ensuing changes that are or not implemented through our community gambling blog RSLPokies.com