Echo Entertainment has announced that the Treasury Casino will be the third of its gambling venues to install voluntary precommitment technology on its games. 3000 games will receive the makeover treatment, bringing total percentage of equipped games to 18% in Queensland. The casino operator will begin installing the software on its machines over the course of the month.

Currently, only 11% of the state’s games have been equipped with the technology, but Echo Entertainment hopes that the number will grow if the operator continues to set a good example. According to gambling minister Paul Lucas, gambling problem numbers have been on the decline since the first games were installed with voluntary precommitment software a few years ago.

While this is certainly a step in the right direction, anti-gambling advocated Nick Xenophon is not impressed. He believes that it is an empty gesture, as voluntary precommitment is likely to do very little to help with problem gambling rates across the country. "Voluntary pre-commitment is about as effective as voluntary speed limits and voluntary drink driving laws," Xenophon says.

He believe that in order for reform measures to be effective, they must be mandatory.

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.