When pokie reform legislation was being negotiated last year, the term ‘mandatory pre-commitment’ seemed to get lost in the shuffle. Although national poker machine reform will require all games to be equipped with voluntary pre-commitment software, the ACT will be running a trial for mandatory pre-commitment. To aid in this process, the federal government requires the help to a capable gaming developer.

There will be several phases for the mandatory pre-commitment trial, the first of which will be research and preparatory work. The second phase will implement the new technology in ACT pokie clubs and other venues that host pokies. Mandatory pre-commitment requires that all poker machine players set spending limits before they being wager.

It differs greatly from voluntary pre-commitment, which simply gives players the option of doing so. As such, many responsible gambling advocates believe that this type of reform would be much more effective in the fight against rising problem gambling rates. The company that will conducting the trials will begin its work in May; however, Clubs Australia wants to delay the trial date.

The organization, which represents all clubs that operate pokies, does not want the trial to begin until the next federal election in September 2013. As such, there is no official start date for the actual trial of the new software. As part of the trial, 5000 poker machines in 60 different across NSW will be linked.

Since this is the case, a player who has hit their limit at one gaming venue will not be able to travel to another club and continue gambling. Local politicians expect that the result of the trial will show that mandatory pre-commitment has the potential to reduce problem gambling rates across the ACT and Australia.

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.