This week, TabCorp announced that its profits have taken a dive this year. The company’s revenue has dwindled by 63%, and gaming industry analysts believe that this is due to Victoria’s recent gambling reforms. Over the course of the past two years, the state of Victoria has enacted a number of gambling reforms aimed at reducing problem gambling rates.

As a result of these reforms, gambling spending has greatly declined, which has had a wholly negative effect on companies like TabCorp. "The previous Gaming Minister, now the Treasurer, Michael O'Brien, has done a very good job at ensuring that problem gambling issues, particularly at venues, are being dealt with first hand," says Matthew Guy, Victoria’s Planning Minister.

"I don't think we make any apology for any of the reforms that we've made over the past two years." One of Victoria’s most effective reforms was the banned placed on ATMs in pokie clubs. Venues that housed poker machines were no longer permitted to house ATMs, so players would not be able to chase losses on the games. The state government also enacted a ban on the use of headphones while playing pokies.

Both bans have resulted in a significant decline in gambling spending, and local politicians are pleased with the result. Last year, the Victorian government also disbanded the pokie duopoly that was held by TabCorp and Tatts Group. As a result, club and pub owners are now able to reap the benefits of their pokies, leaving Tab and Tatts out millions of dollars.

Fortunately, TabCorp has seen some recovery in the form of mobile gambling. Tab is one of the few operators that are legally allowed to offering mobile gambling services, and the privilege has paid off. Digital wagering has increased by 13.6% to $2.45 billion over the course of the past year, so TabCorp will likely have to focus more on online and interactive gaming in the future.

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.