The Greens continue their fight for $1 pokie limits, and wish to trial the technology. The political party has recently decided that Tasmania would be the ideal location in which to test the implementation of $1 betting limits for poker machines. When the idea of pokie reform was first introduced, The Greens fought to convince…
Tag Archive: pokie reform
Do Gambling Loyalty Cards Encourage Problem Gambling?
As the federal government prepares to roll out voluntary pre-commitment technology, researchers are hoping to get to the bottom of the growing issue of problem gambling. A new study will examine the effects, if any, that loyalty programs have on problem gambling rates across the country. As voluntary pre-commitment is rolled out, players who wish…
30 Pokies Suspended in Ballarat
This week the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal put 30 poker machines located at Oscar’s Hotel and Cafe Bar on hold. The venue’s pokie permit was challenged by local gambling researchers and, until a consensus is reached, the hotel will be without pokies. In September 2012, Ballarat City Council agreed to allow Oscar’s Hotel to…
Ballarat Wants to Reduce Pokie Cap
Ballarat Councillor Joshua Morris has put forth a motion to reduce the poker machine cap in the city. The motion comes shortly after the council suggested permitting pokie venues in the business district. Last week, the Ballarat City Council recommended that poker machine venues should be allowed to exist within the Central Business District. The…
Criticism for Ballarat’s New Pokies Plan
The Ballarat City Council is currently in the process of introducing new pokies into the city centre. Council members feel that bringing new pokies into the central business district will help to reduce problem gambling rates in the city. However, responsible gambling advocates are not convinced that this is the best course of action. According…
New Provisions Introduced For Pokies Harm Reduction Bill
New Zealand’s Harm Reduction Bill is gaining steam among local politicians. MP Te Ururoa Flavell is taking advantage of the opportunity by introducing new responsible gambling measures that aim to reduce gambling addiction rates across the country. The original harm reduction bill suggested a number of provisions that would give local community councils the right…
$1 Pokie Limits Encouraged at Public Forum
Although pokie reform legislation mandates that all electronic gaming machines must be equipped with pre-commitment technology, responsible gambling advocates are still searching for effective ways to limit players’ spending. This week, a public forum heard many arguments in favour of imposing $1 betting limits on all poker machines. The Limit Pokies Losses Forum was held…
Bendat Launches New Pokie Reform Campaign
Just when you thought the debate over poker machine reform was over – it comes back with a vengeance. Responsible gambling advocate Paul Bendat is behind a new pokie reform campaign that supports the introduction of $1 betting limits. Although the federal government has passed pokie reform legislation, Bendat hopes to take things one step…
Canberra Mandatory Pre-Commitment Trial Unlikely to Happen
For a while there, it almost seemed like the ACT’s mandatory pre-commitment trial was going to happen. Unfortunately, local clubs have managed to let down responsible gambling advocates yet again by stalling the trial. At this rate, the federal government doubts that the reform is ever going to take place. This week, representatives from clubs…
Wilkie Applauds Community Services Minister
If you’ve been following the news about poker machine reform in Australia, two names you’ve likely heard a lot of are: Jenny Macklin and Andrew Wilkie. Over the course of the past year, these two political figures have spent a great deal of time negotiating the terms of pokie reform. Now that reform legislation has…