Despite some recently disagreements between Intralot and the Victorian government, the two parties have decided to work together on implement the new pre-commitment scheme in the state. This week, it has been announced that Intralot will provide pre-commitment technology for the 27 500 pokies in Victoria.

“We look forward to successfully completing contractual negotiations with the State Government on pre-commitment in the near future,” says Antonis Markopoulos of Intralot. “We also look forward to delivering this important project to the State to the highest quality, within budget and on time.” Pre-commitment technology will provide players with the option of setting betting limits before they wager.

Although the scheme is voluntary, responsible gambling advocates anticipate that it will help reduce problem gambling rates because players can stop their gambling from getting out of control. Casual gamers can use it as a preventative measure and problem gamblers will be able to use it in order to curb their spending. This is the first time that a pre-commitment scheme has been finalized in Australia.

Last year, the same technology could have been rolled out nation-wide, but club owners and pokie operators campaigned against it. Now, Victoria has stepped out on its own to enact this harm minimisation measure. The proposal will have to pass through legislation, and local politicians will have to negotiate over its terms, but the Victorian government anticipates that this will be a relatively smooth process.

Should everything go as planned, the pre-commitment scheme will be rolled out starting December 2015. This is a ground breaking development for Australia’s gambling market. Local politicians have worked hard to implement pre-commitment in the country, and the time has finally come. We are hopeful that the measure will receive widespread support from industry professionals and local residents.

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.