After seeing the disastrous response to Andrew Wilkie’s pokie reform, politicians across the country are presenting alternatives to his precommitment initiative. However, they are not seeing any more luck than Wilkie. The Greens have proposed a $1 betting limit, designed to undercut Wilkie’s pokie reform, but the idea has been rejected by clubs across the country.

According to Clubs Australia, it would cost over $3 billion to convert existing gaming machines to limit machines. It would also take a great deal of time to implement the plan, as only 2000 machines could be converted each year – in a market of over 25 000 poker machines. The Gaming Technologies Association, which represents eight poker machine manufacturers across the country, states that the costs would be substantial.

Converting a machine that is less than 3-years-old would cost approximately $5000; the cost of converting machines older than that would be $10 000 per machine. Additionally, each state has regulated its own machines, so the conversion would be a difficult process for manufacturers. Initially, the Greens’ idea saw a great deal of support from Australian gamers, but now cracks are beginning to show in the plan.

It seems like it is back to the drawing board for any politicians looking to suggest alternatives to Wilkie’s pokie reform scheme.

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.