Canberra's problem gamblers can lose '$1,000 an hour' on pokies after major parties reject betting limits

Canberrans will be able to continue to pour thousands of dollars into poker machines after a proposal to cap bets was rejected, sparking fears more people will be harmed by gambling during the COVID-19 crisis.

Key points:

• The ACT Greens proposed introducing gaming machine bet limits of $5 and 'load up' limits of $100 to reduce how much problem gamblers could spend
• The Labor and Liberal parties both rejected the proposal, saying it would force clubs to close
• Gambling reform advocates say without the bet limits, people drawn to gambling during COVID-19 will suffer

While current coronavirus restrictions do not allow for poker machine operation, once restrictions lift problem gamblers in Canberra will still be vulnerable to losing more than $1,000 an hour on gaming machines.

The ACT is one of the only jurisdictions that does not have betting limits on pokies. There is also no requirement to display the time spent gaming, nor to cap playing times.

But a motion by ACT Greens leader Shane Rattenbury to introduce $5 bet limits per spin and $100 'load up limits' was voted down by Labor and Liberal politicians in the Legislative Assembly yesterday.

"What my motion seeks to do, is to put a bet limit on poker machines," Mr Rattenbury said.

"It's not saying you can't use the poker machines, it's not saying you can't have the poker machines ... it simply says that we know that for some people, controlling their impulses on machines that are designed to addict you to them, is a problem.

Gambling: Tell us your story

ABC Investigations wants your help to find out more about what happens behind the scenes of Australia's gambling industry; to hear from people who have worked inside the industry and those who have lost money. Fill out our tips form here.

Read more

"One of the evidence-based approaches is to say, we're going to put a limit on how much you can flog through the machine."

But the Government rejected the proposed betting limit because it would harm clubs already struggling during the pandemic.

Regulatory Services Minister Gordon Ramsay said that clubs had also gone through "a period of very significant reform over the past five years" and replacing old machines to enable bet limits would place a new cost on clubs that they could not bear.

"It may not be insurmountable, but it does need proper exploration," Mr Ramsay said.

For the latest news on the coronavirus pandemic follow our live coverage.

COVID-19 may have 'harmful' impact on problem gamblers

Dr Emma Campbell, CEO of the ACT Council of Social Services, said she was concerned that, without the limits Mr Rattenbury proposed, more Canberrans will suffer from gambling problems through the pandemic.

"The stress that comes from job losses, or loneliness, some of which has been created by the COVID-19 situation, can also drive people to harmful behaviours such as gambling," Dr Campbell said.

"Now is more important than ever that these types of reforms are enacted."

Alongside having some of the weakest regulation on pokies in the country, Canberra also has the second-highest density of machines in the country — though the ACT Government recently capped the number of pokie authorisations to 4,000.

Need help or support?

If gambling is affecting your health and you are feeling anxious or depressed, or if gambling is negatively impacting on your relationships, help and support are available.

The most recent gambling survey, conducted by the Australian National University's Centre for Gambling Research in 2019, found that Canberra was "a community that is highly engaged in gambling activity".

One in five Canberrans use poker machines to gamble, and 10 per cent of the population reported problem gambling symptoms.

Dr Campbell said problem gamblers have told her organisation that something like a load up limit, which would require them to walk away from the machines and reconsider spending, would have helped them avoid damaging losses.

"If there were time limits, if they did not have easy access to money ... these are the actions that would have helped them to reconsider betting that extra $500 in the machine," Dr Campbell said.

"We need to listen to the people who have had these experiences, who have had terrible situations of having family breakdowns or losing their homes."

Gambling reform advocates in South Australia want pokies to remain closed, even as the state reopens.(ABC Radio Adelaide: Malcolm Sutton)

Massive increase in gambling in Queanbeyan

Canberra Liberals MLA Mark Parton noted that even if limits were introduced, gamblers would still be able to place limitless bets online.

"Poker machines still are one of the slowest ways to gamble money when you consider other avenues," Mr Parton said.

He added that any attempt to introduce limits would only drive more people to gamble over the border in Queanbeyan.

He said that was evident in Clubs NSW figures from the first two weeks of gaming venues reopening in the state since their COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.

The average machine reportedly had an 89 per cent increase in turnover across NSW — but in Queanbeyan, there was a 453 per cent increase in turnover.

But Mr Rattenbury said he was saddened that clubs had become "reliant on the revenue of problem gamblers", and that putting a limit on poker machines in the ACT was "within our sphere of influence".

"One of the really sad parts of the discussion about clubs in the ACT is that it has become synonymous with poker machines," he said.

"Our clubs have become so large, and so reliant on the rivers of gold from poker machines, that this is where we find ourselves.

"We can [introduce limits] in a way that addresses the outcome we're after, whilst continuing an orderly transition as our clubs seek to diversify their revenue base."

What you need to know about coronavirus:

Let's block ads! (Why?)

from Poker