In the ACT, local politicians are planning to give clubs and pubs in remote areas permission to offer pokies to their players. The plan has come under fire by many residents, including members of the Opposition and public health experts. It is no secret that pokie clubs tend be concentrated in low-income areas. In these neighbourhoods the potential number of gambling addicts is quite high.

According to health researcher Matthew Stevens, there are some communities in Queensland which host poker machines and have a problem gambling rate of at least 30%. It is expected that these numbers would be even higher in remote communities. The government argues that allowing pokies in remote communities will boost their economies.

At the moment, many residents are leaving town to play pokies in other areas. Politicians want to keep the money flowing internally, but Stevens does not believe that should be the case. "There may be some places that say yes, they'd prefer people not necessarily leaving the town if they wanted to gamble on poker machines," he says. "But you can't make that decision for Aboriginal communities, that has to be coming from themselves."

Labour has also voiced opposition to the plan. The party has argued that it would not be safe to introduce pokies into Aboriginal and remote communities, since studies have proven that this demographic are more prone to gambling addiction. Representatives state that the plan should only go ahead after extensive consultation on the topic as well as a social impact assessment.

Alcohol Policy Minister Dave Tollner has fought back. He argues that the Labour Party is being ‘racist’ and ‘paternalistic’ by trying to prevent pokies from being introduced into remote communities. The debate is really heating up, and it is unlikely to be over soon.

We will keep you posted with further updates.

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.