Just when you thought the debate over poker machine reform was over – it comes back with a vengeance. Responsible gambling advocate Paul Bendat is behind a new pokie reform campaign that supports the introduction of $1 betting limits. Although the federal government has passed pokie reform legislation, Bendat hopes to take things one step further in the state of Victoria.

On a national level, pokie clubs will employ voluntary pre-commitment software on their pokies, giving players the option of setting betting limits before they wager. Bendat campaign urges residents to support imposing $1 betting limits on games in Victoria as well as the introduction of new pokie tax laws.

Recently, Bendat commissioned a study at Monash University which examined the potential effects of imposing new tax laws and betting limits. It found that these provisions could be employed without significantly reducing the amount of money that the federal government receives from pokies. Many politicians argue that reform would reduce pokie grant funds, but Bendat’s findings challenge this claim.

Bendat maintains that the changes would not affect recreational gamblers. Since they are considered to be more responsible with their gambling habits, it is not often that they wager more than $1 per spin. Any decrease in gambling spending would result from problem gamblers spending less money on pokies, which is the ideal situation. "Around the rest of the world, this is normal,” says Benday.

“In England, the pokies are a £1 play. It's not 'load up $1000 in one go and spend it quickly', which you can do here." He hopes that local politicians will do the responsible thing by imposing these newly proposed limits. In order to attract the attention of lawmakers, he has erected a billboard on the Nepean Highway in Mordialloc.

On it, he has published the electorate phone numbers for MPs Lorraine Wreford and Donna Bauer, encouraging residents to speak with them about backing the reform. Bendat’s campaign has already received a great deal of support from Tim Costello, a fellow responsible gambling advocate and head of the Australian Churches Gambling Taskforce.

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.