The Greens have proposed a new policy for poker machine clubs in New South Wales that could help to reduce problem gambling spending. The political party aims to introduce a sinking lid policy on pokies in clubs and prevent these venues from moving poker machine licenses between each other. One of the major introductions is a ban on transferring poker machine licenses between clubs.
This will help to prevent the number of poker machines from growing in low-income areas, where there is already a high concentration of pokies. They also aim to impose a sinking lid policy, which will reduce the number of pokies in each venue over time. Over the course of 20 years, The Greens would like to see the cap for pokies reduced from 500 to 200. Any clubs that exceed the limit would have to surrender their additional games.
The Green want to change the way poker machines are designed, as well. They want to put an end to pokie gameplay features that may potentially make losses look like wins, increase the speed at which a player can spend money or offer player free wagers. Jackpots would also be reduced from $10 000 to $5000 and bet limits would be reduced from $10 to $1.
"The research shows that the design features of an electronic gaming machine matter,” says John Kaye, NSW MP for The Greens. "By bringing down the bet and jackpot limits, banning new design features and driving smaller, more personal clubs sizes, NSW can begin to address problem gambling”. Under the proposed policy change, clubs would also have to submit to an ATM withdrawal limit.
This means that players would not be able to withdraw more than $250 daily from a cash machine located in a pokie club. The proposed policy will likely see a great deal of debate among politicians in New South Wales. We will keep you posted as the story develops.
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