Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has spent the past year working hard to pass poker machine reform legislation in Australia. While the bill aims to benefit the local community by reducing problem gambling rates, many politicians have expressed opposition to reform – and Wilkie believes that there is a reason for this.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, he believes that politicians are more concerned with pokie clubs’ earnings than problem gambling rates. “Many members will indeed vote against them because those members are effectively on the payroll of the industry on account of the fat donations they've received already, or have been promised,'' Wilkie said in Parliament this week.

As such, Wilkie believes that there is corruption running rampant between poker machine clubs and politicians. This is a dangerous combination, as it could mean that political groups are not putting the best interests of the public first in favour of padding their pockets. Financial influence has been a concern from the beginning, as poker machines generate a great deal of tax revenue for local community organizations.

Only now is Wilkie bringing attention to the fact that individuals may have also fallen under the influence. Although passionate and compelling, Wilkie’s speech in Parliament did not make much of a positive impact. His peers stated that he portrayed ‘moral superiority’ over other politicians rather than highlighting what is most important about poker machine reform: protecting local residents from the potential harms of gambling.

“It was a shameful and disgusting comment to make”, says Liberal MP Steven Ciobo, who requested that Wilkie withdraw. As expected, parliamentary debates over poker machine reform have certainly been heated. Every politician has their own opinions on how the reform should be carried out – or if it should be carried out at all.

This week, we will hear from plenty of politicians and community groups across Australia, expressing their opinions on poker machine reform and presenting potential amendments to the draft legislation.

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.