It has been a long time coming, but the day is finally here – pokie reform legislation has passed. While some view the new agreement as a watered down version of the original plan, it is largely seen as a victory. After over a year of fighting to impose safe gambling regulations on poker machines, Andrew Wilkie and other responsible gambling advocates have gotten their way.

The key to securing the deal was The Greens. The group was holding out on backing Canberra’s pre-commitment trial, as The Greens felt that $1 betting limits would be more successful. The Gillard government, well-known for its reluctance to support gambling reform, used this to its advantage claiming that it could not move forward with the trial until unanimous support was shown.

It has taken a lot of convincing, but The Greens have given in. The group has agreed to support the pre-commitment trial, so long as the local government spends $1.5 million on a research institute that will examine the benefits of $1 betting limits. However, not everyone is pleased with the news.

Some responsible gambling advocates, such as Tim Costello of the Australian Churches Gambling Taskforce, believe that more action needs to be taken. While trialling voluntary pre-commitment technology shows that the government is taking a stance against gambling addiction, Costello does not believe that it is an effective way to curb problem gambling rates.

"Voluntary precommitment is about as safe as voluntary speed limits on the road," he says. The new draft laws will be introduced over the course of the next few weeks. By 2013, the laws should be passed, and Australia can look forward to discovering the results of a pre-commitment trial for poker machines.

There are a number of new provisions for the legislation, including $250 limits being placed on ATMs in casinos and other gambling venues. Additionally, all machines must be equipped with pre-commitment technology by the year 2016. "We know that no one sits down to lose their whole pay cheque," says Jenny Macklin, Community Affairs Minister. "And that's what precommitment helps to protect against."

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.