Kevin Rudd missed a chance to reduce poker machine number when he rejected a call for a Henry review on the gambling tax concessions given to sports clubs. The review claimed that if the clubs really need financial assistance then perhaps they would be better served relying on direct government hand outs rather than tax breaks on gambling revenue.

This will come as something of a surprise to those who listened to Rudd in his time as leader of the opposition, when he claimed he wanted to look at ways to wean state governments off their reliance on pokie revenue and explore alternatives.

Sadly the reality of the situation is that pokie revenues are just to great for governments to write off – much of the time the revenue generated by pokies at a state level is vital in funding things as vital as health and education projects. Rudd had also had the Productivity Commission look into the poker machine issue earlier in the year, but it seems their findings did not make a difference in his decision not to act in this particular Henry review.

About the Author

George Anderson
Author George, has over 25+ years’ experience in the Pokies and Casinos industry throughout Australia and New Zealand. Loves to research new Pokies games on the block and follows announcements from top industry providers about their upcoming releases. As soon as a new interesting pokie game appears on his radar, George is there to check it out and give you the scoop before anyone else and tell you about all casino sites where can play the latest game. Before this gig, George worked as Pokie game tester, making him an ideal candidate for this genre of work. He is also an animal lover and a proud owner of three dogs.