In a recent article in The Conversation, two gambling experts in Academia offered up some unique insight into minimising gambling harm from poker machines. PhD Candidate Francis Markham and Senior Lecturer Martin Young listed eight pieces of advice that would help to reduce problem gambling rates across Australia. Firstly, the researchers noted that prevention is more effective than doing damage control.

Many problem gambling initiatives are concerned with treating problem gamblers and, while this is a necessary measure, it is also important to focus on preventing players from developing compulsive habits in the first place. Another solution would be to limit the size of bets and how often players can make wagers. They state that “the faster bets can be made, and the larger the maximum bet size, the faster money can be lost”.

Australia and New Zealand have also seen significant success in placing caps on poker machines in certain areas. In cities where there is a high proportion of pokies, problem gambling rates are expected to be much higher. As such, capping the number of games allowed can reduce gambling harm by limiting industry growth. In the same vein, the limit of pokies per venue will also help to reduce problem gambling rates.

This tactic is particularly useful in low-income areas, where players are more likely to spend money on pokies. Studies have shown that individuals in poverty-stricken neighbourhoods spend the most money on gaming machines. If the number of pokies were reduced – or the games were removed altogether – we could expect to see a significant decline in gambling spending.

The authors also noted that technological advancements for gaming machines are allowing players to spend money at a faster rate. While some games implement new bonus features, others allow players to make numerous bets at once or provide higher jackpots. All of these technological features encourage players to spend more and an increase in problem gamblers.

Read The Conversation for the full list of recommendations.

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.