Last year, the federal government decided to introduce poker machine reform across the country. However, responsible gambling campaigners like Andrew Wilkie are not impressed with the steps that have been taken to reduce gambling harm across the country. As such, Wilkie has introduced a new bill that will further regulate poker machines in Australia, which may include the introduction of betting limits.
His new gambling regulation measures would require all machines to feature mandatory pre-commitments technology. Every wager that every player makes is subjected to limits. For example, poker machines would not be able to accept notes worth over $20 and players would not be able to spend more than $1 per spin. Jackpots would also be limited to $500.
He will give pokie clubs until the end of 2019 to ensure that their games are compliant, and clubs with fewer than five games will have until 2021. Andrew Wilkie is one of many responsible gambling campaigners that are not impressed with the way in which the pokie reform situation turned out last year.
The original bill was watered down to turn mandatory pre-commitment to voluntary pre-commitment, and the legislation was passed with very weak reforms in place. Shortly after the bill was passed, it was repealed. So, Wilkie wants to ensure that something is done to reduce problem gambling rates in Australia. He is confident that this new bill will have a positive impact on the issue of gambling addiction in the country.
However, he still needs to gain support from fellow politicians. "Enough is enough and it's time for the Parliament to act to reduce the harm and protect problem gamblers from this most addictive form of gambling," Wilkie says. Although Parliament has permitted the introduction of the bill, its debate has been delayed.
We will keep you updated as the legislation develops.
About the Author
