We’ve been talking tonight about proposed changes to Australia’s poker machine laws;
Senator Fielding from Family First wants to see all kinds of limits on poker machines in pubs and clubs – Reducing the amount of money you can put into them, perhaps introducing pre-paid Smart Cards to limit how much gamblers spend, limiting ATM withdrawals in gambling venues to $100 a day, and in the long term, removing the pokies from clubs and pubs altogether.
What do you think of Senator Fielding’s proposals? Will they help?
• By making it harder to gamble, will the government solve some of Austalia’s gambling addiction problems?
• Or, will gamblers just find some other way to have a punt – at the casino, or online for example?
• Maybe you enjoy putting a few dollars into the pokies occasionally, and don’t see a problem with them… What are your thoughts?
• Perhaps you know someone with a gambling problem , or maybe you’ve experienced a gambling addiction yourself…
• Would a pre-paid smart-card, or a $100 limit at the ATM have helped you reduce your gambling?
Comments (1)
The issues of reform to the pokies industry are quite naturally, quite complicated. As with all issues, extremists on both sides cloud the issues, confuse the community and stall progress. A new website www.makepokiessafe.com is intended to centralise all current debate and stories on the pokies industry, and act as a conduit for concerned groups to get their message out to the community, and for the community to be able to find up to date, complete and accurate news and opinions in one spot. I hope Openhouse will keep a focus on the pokies as the time for reform has arrived and is long overdue.
Richard Wolff (aka daviidv)
Posted by Richard Wolff | September 19, 2008 12:42 AM
Posted on September 19, 2008 00:42