The Problem Gambling Foundation in Hamilton wants local politicians to take a stricter stance on poker machines. The group is putting pressure on Hamilton to enact a sinking lid policy, which would have no exceptions and would aim to reduce the number of games in the city over time. In Hamilton, the city council has imposed some new harm reduction measures with regards to poker machine numbers.
However, residents continue to spend upwards of $20 million on the games, so the Problem Gambling Foundation believes that more needs to be done in order to reduce the level of potential harm that is being done by electronic gaming. Sheryl Smith, a local gambling counsellor, has collected 260 submissions from individuals across the city.
She handed them in to mayoral candidate Dave Macpherson, proving that there is a significant demand to reduce the number of pokies in the city. "There are so many people that feel strongly about pokie machines in Hamilton and that's what I'm rapt about – it's that people are saying ‘we don't want them' or ‘we want less of them', " says Ms Smith.
"The best option we have under current legislation of reducing the number of pokies is by asking the council to have a true sinking lid. That means no exceptions." When sinking lid policies are implemented, there are usually some exceptions. For example, the policy may only apply to some pokies or in certain parts of the city.
The Problem Gambling Foundation wants to ensure that this is not the case, so that the new sinking lid policy would reduce poker machine numbers in all venues across the entire city over time. Sinking lids are considered to be an effective method of harm reduction, because they remove plenty of gambling opportunities that problem gamblers could take advantage of.
There is no definitive proof that there is a correlation between the number of pokies in a city and problem gambling rates, but responsible gambling advocates are optimistic.
About the Author
