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Sought after
changes to controlling and playing poker machines in NSW
to
'inter alia'
reduce
NSW
poker machine numbers in line with the average (per capita) of other five
states and two territories
Outlaw political donation from gambling institutions
The
current NSW Labor government wants the Electoral Funding Act 2018 amended to outlaw political
donations from registered clubs that have poker machines or are involved in any
other wagering, betting or other gambling activities.
A cashless
gambling system
The
state (NSW) was on the verge of major gaming reform when the Coalition government of Dominic
Perrottet was
voted out of power in March. He had joined forces with members of the
crossbench, including the independent
Sydney MP, Alex Greenwich, vowing to introduce cashless gambling systems to
reduce problem gambling and criminal activity with the clubs.
Tasmanian
recommendations
Universal,
pre-commitment card and the introduction of safer machine design features,
such as $1 bet limits and slower wheel spin speeds. Namely, a binding
pre-commitment with default loss limits to all people using poker machines;
single system across all venues; and single card per person.
The Greens
recommendations
$1 bet limits
$20 load-up limits
$500 jackpot limits
longer closing periods for pokies venues - from 12am
(midnight) to
10am
a ban on political donations from the gambling industry.
Victorian
govt. reforms - July 2023
1. Gamblers permitted to
load a maximum of $100 into an electronic gaming
machine at one time - down from the current load-up limit of $1,000.
2. No cash accepted for gambling - Carded play
to be mandatory for poker
machines to halt money laundering through gaming venues.
3. All venues with poker machines, except Crown Casino, required to close
gaming areas between 4am and 10am.
4. The changes would require gamblers to use cards in gaming machines with a
pre-commitment limit not to exceed $100.
5. Poker machines
wheel spin to be slowed to a spin rate of three seconds per game, minimum-ally limiting
the amount of money that can be lost.
Reforms sought in Qld
-
A predetermined/set/locked
gambling $ limit commitment
prior to playing a poker machine on a particular day/night to provide real-time data on losses posted by
poker machine gambling addicts. Mandatory pre-commitment
requirement on pokies players should be implemented across the more than
40,000 machines in Qld's pubs and clubs. Losses on a particular date
could therefore not exceeded an amount decided by gamblers before they sat down in
front of a gaming machine.
Queensland's
Office of Liquor and Gaming (OLGR)
must legislate to make pre-commitment mandatory in order for it to be effective.
-
Federal
government recently enacted a requirement for online betting companies to send
their customers monthly statements on wins and losses. But almost nothing being
put in place to equal it for conventional poker machine gambling.
-
Further promotion of a gambler's right to seek self-exclusion from gambling
at a particular gaming venue
Wesley Mission Gambling
reform
goals
1. Implement universal cashless gambling with
built-in
harm reduction measures.
Poker machines in NSW be modified to
only accept a card or a digital wallet as the payment linked to bank account or debit card
- to a proven identity. A gambling card or digital wallet set sensible loss limits –
default being Tasmanian
model of $100 a day, $500 a week, $5,000 a year. Players choose
to set their limit at $0 if they want. People can also set their time limits
so that machines will stop working after a set time, and the person cannot
just move to the next machine. If they are still within their limit but need
to top up funds, the card/wallet cannot be used for 30 minutes to encourage
people to take a break. Improved activity statements can be generated, and
winnings quarantined. If someone has self-excluded, their card or wallet
will not be accepted.
2.
All
poker machines in pubs and clubs to be turned off between midnight and 10
am.
3.
Establish
an independent
State-wide self-exclusion
register in NSW.
4.
Local
Councils are well-placed to act on behalf of their
communities. They hold planning, economic, and social data that creates a
more complete picture of community composition and should be considered in
the determination of poker machine applications. Local Councils to
have a statutory right to be able to make submissions on every poker machine
application in their community, regardless of Local Impact Assessment (LIA)
status, and appeal any decision made by the Independent Liquor & Gaming
Authority.
5.
Greater
transparency in
NSW –
Clubs and pubs to publish venue data
“... every six months, each gambling venue published
weekly data on the number of EGMs, gross profit, and average
expenditure per customer.”
Alliance
for Gambling
Reform Policy
Paper
The
Alliance for
Gambling Reform
(The Alliance)
strongly supports
the
prohibition of
gambling
with
-
1. credit
including
using
credit
cards,
2. ‘buy
now,
pay
later’
systems,
3. digital
or
e- wallets;
and
4. third-party
payment
mechanisms.
Above policy
needs
to be
regulated by
a sufficiently
resourced, national,
independent regulator
which oversees
the licenses
of all
online wagering
bookmakers
rather
than the
current model
which is
state based
regulation.
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