When it comes to problem gambling in Australia, politicians have been working hard to tackle the problem and reduce the number of gambling addictions. One of the solutions presented was pre-commitment, encouraging players to set betting limits before they play pokies. While the idea of mandatory pre-commitment was scrapped, some politicians are still fighting for voluntary pre-commitment in Australia.

On the other side of the border, Sky City locations in New Zealand have implemented this technology – but the initiative has been met with little support. In Australian, politicians believe that pre-commitment will curb problem gambling rates – but the sentiment is not shared in New Zealand.

Upon hearing the news that voluntary pre-commitment is now available at three Sky City casinos in the country, the Problem Gambling Foundation immediately challenged the technology. According to Graeme Ramsey of the NZ Problem Gambling Foundation, research has proven that such systems are in effective in curbing problem gambling rates.

He believes that giving users the option to set limits will not work, as they will simply ignore the choice. Mike Clarke of Sky City agrees that players can disregard the option; however, he states that it should be recognized as a step taken to help prevent problem gambling rates from rising.

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.