The Abbott government has announced its plans to repeal the pokie reforms that were passed last year by the Julia Gillard. Responsible gambling groups are not impressed with this turn of events, and they have requested that the government keep at least some of the reforms – namely the limit on ATM withdrawals.

When poker machine reform laws were passed, they included a provision that would limit the amount of money that punters could withdraw from pokie club ATMs. The laws would place a $250/day cap on cash machines, preventing players from chasing losses and spending more money they can afford on pokies.

The Victorian government has already illustrated the ATM withdrawal limits are effective way of reducing problem gambling spending. In the year following the state’s implementation of the ATM limit, pokie spending fell by 6%. Local politicians attribute the decline to fewer problem gamblers chasing their losses.

Now that Tony Abbott is in charge, he wants to repeal the reforms, including the ATM withdrawal limit. If the repeal passes, then pokie club patrons will be able to withdraw as much money as they want every night. The Labour Party was originally opposed to the appeal of the reform, but now the group supports Abbott’s plans. As such, the Australian Churches Gambling Taskforce has taken up the fight alone.

They have request that the new Prime Minister rethink his plan to remove ATM withdrawal limits at poker machine clubs. They have called the repeal a step backwards, as it would only serve to cause problem gambling rates to spike once again. The group has also outlined several other provisions of the reform that they would like to see upheld. These include $1 bet limits on pokies, removing jackpot games and pre-commitment.

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.