Last week, gaming industry professionals and representatives from welfare organisations gathered in Dandenong to discuss the impact of poker machines in vulnerable communities. They want to ensure that more careful consideration is given to new pokie applications in low-income neighbourhoods to help reduce the negative impact of gambling on individuals who live in  these areas.

The city council has launched a campaign ahead of the upcoming State Election in Victoria. Members of the council would like to see the state government offer a more scrutinising eye when considering appliacations to add new poker machines or gambling venues to vulnerable areas.

According to Charles Livingstone, a problem gambling researcher at Monash University, Victoria needs to reconsider its system for appoving poker machine applications. From 2008 to 2014, 154 poker machine appications were presented to the state government. During that time, 140 were approved and just 14 were rejected.

While Victoria one of the most proactive states in the fight against problem gambling, it seems that more needs to be done in order to drive down gambling addiction  rates in local low-income areas. According to Charles Livingstone and representatives from welfare groups across the country, the first step is being more critical about poker machine applications.

Another important factor is to work towards removing the stigma that is attached to problem gambling. Major Brad Halse, who also spoke at the forum, stated that many problem gamblers refuse  to seek help because they are made to feel shamed by their addiction. “People are very reluctant to admit they are out of control,” he said.

“They will more readily … say they are a victim of domestic violence than they will say (they’re) out of control, (they) can’t stop themselves gambling … it’s a very shaming thing.” As such, it is crucial for the state government to make help for problem gamblers more readily available. This is especially important in vulnerable communities, where problem gambling rates are highest.

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.