Recent changes to pokie club regulations have sparked outrage among responsible gambling advocates in South Australia. Now, pokie players will be able to access EFTPOS transactions directly from pokie club gaming areas – and it is thought that this may lead to an increase in problem gambling. Previously, players who wished to withdraw additional cash would have to leave the gaming area of any SA pokie club.

Any ATM withdrawals would take place in another area of the venue. Now, players will be able to withdraw cash without having to leave the gaming area – so long as they use an EFTPOS withdrawal. This is a transaction that takes place with a pokie club staff member, who withdraws the money from the patron’s account. Responsible gambling campaigners state that this system will encourage players to gamble more.

They will not have to leave to gaming area, so they are never truly removed from the gambling environment. "Forcing a person to go outside the room to get money requires them to break their play, and to basically have the potential for some more rational thinking,” says Mark Henley of Uniting Communities.

However, Police Minister Tony Piccolo argues that it will be beneficial for players, as human interaction is required during an EFTPOS transaction. He states that this will allow staff members to keep a closer eye on players and gives them a greater opportunity to intervene with at-risk players who are exhibiting dangerous gambling behaviour.

"By actually having the machine inside, the person will actually get to understand their behaviour and there are trained people who will talk to people and provide the counselling and support,” he says.

Consumer Services Minister Gail Gago echoes the sentiment. She states that the government had given careful consideration to the new rules, and decided that this would be a more effective means of reducing problem gambling. In fact, it is believed that problem gamblers are less likely to pursue additional cash when they have to interact with another person.

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.