Comments on: Pokies http://michaelferguson.com/2009/03/pokies/ Liberal member for Bass Tue, 15 May 2012 06:19:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Michael http://michaelferguson.com/2009/03/pokies/comment-page-1/#comment-482 Michael Thu, 14 Oct 2010 00:34:06 +0000 http://michaelferguson.com/?p=131#comment-482 G'day William I am open minded on this one. Instinctively I support any moves to put reasonable controls on how much "loose change", "beer money", "savings" and "grocery money" gets put through these starving machines. We in the Liberal Party have had and will keep having a discussion on this and other ideas. Our benchmark test is whether any ideas are practical to achieve (ie, how will the industry manage those enforced changes) and more importantly what positive effect will they have on the behaviour of problem gamblers. Bottom line (and the greens know this) is that we should definitely use the opportunity to get changes across the board nationally, and one of these is individual bet limits as well as the amount of money a person can pour into a machine in one hour. Here's what Will Hodgman had to say about the issue just a few weeks ago: I was pleased today that the Tasmanian Greens supported our move to refer their bill to set $1 bet limits to a Parliamentary committee. This means that when Parliament is asked to make a decision on $1 bet limits it will have all of the facts before it. We support measures to reduce problem gambling, but it is important to assess the harm minimisation benefits as well as the potential impact of this change on small business hoteliers, and on government revenue. Our move to put the issue to a committee, which the Greens have now accepted, means that the Tasmanian community will be able to enter into an informed debate. I look forward to the committee commencing its investigation as soon as possible and providing the most detailed and balanced analysis of $1 bet limits ever undertaken in Tasmania. G’day William I am open minded on this one. Instinctively I support any moves to put reasonable controls on how much “loose change”, “beer money”, “savings” and “grocery money” gets put through these starving machines. We in the Liberal Party have had and will keep having a discussion on this and other ideas. Our benchmark test is whether any ideas are practical to achieve (ie, how will the industry manage those enforced changes) and more importantly what positive effect will they have on the behaviour of problem gamblers. Bottom line (and the greens know this) is that we should definitely use the opportunity to get changes across the board nationally, and one of these is individual bet limits as well as the amount of money a person can pour into a machine in one hour. Here’s what Will Hodgman had to say about the issue just a few weeks ago:

I was pleased today that the Tasmanian Greens supported our move to refer their bill to set $1 bet limits to a Parliamentary committee. This means that when Parliament is asked to make a decision on $1 bet limits it will have all of the facts before it. We support measures to reduce problem gambling, but it is important to assess the harm minimisation benefits as well as the potential impact of this change on small business hoteliers, and on government revenue. Our move to put the issue to a committee, which the Greens have now accepted, means that the Tasmanian community will be able to enter into an informed debate. I look forward to the committee commencing its investigation as soon as possible and providing the most detailed and balanced analysis of $1 bet limits ever undertaken in Tasmania.

]]> By: WilliamK http://michaelferguson.com/2009/03/pokies/comment-page-1/#comment-478 WilliamK Tue, 05 Oct 2010 07:54:31 +0000 http://michaelferguson.com/?p=131#comment-478 Kim Booth really stuck it to the Hotels Assoc president today on the issue of $1 bet limit. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/10/05/3030219.htm What is your position ? Kim Booth really stuck it to the Hotels Assoc president today on the issue of $1 bet limit.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/10/05/3030219.htm

What is your position ?

]]> By: Claire http://michaelferguson.com/2009/03/pokies/comment-page-1/#comment-430 Claire Fri, 19 Mar 2010 04:36:10 +0000 http://michaelferguson.com/?p=131#comment-430 Someone stated that the companies that have pokies limit easy access to money. The Casinos both have ATMs where you can get out as much money as you can to lose. This is wrong. They should not be in these venues. I think the $1 cap on bets is a good idea, but still, when you are on a low income, losing $50 is a lot of money. I think it would be interesting to do a study on who are the main users of pokie machines. Is it mainly low or high income earners? And is the amount that they lose proportionate to their income? Is it possible to somehow put a daily cap on bets - ie, I only want to lose a maximum of $30 today, and after that, I will be unable to use the machines? This limit could be set by the individual concerned. This would be the equivelent of bartenders being unable to serve people who were drunk. I've had a family member adicted to the pokies. He ran though an inheritance quite quickly at the pokies. He is now on a centrelink income. Surely this money would have been better use spent elsewhere in the community? Sometimes he goes back to the casinos, and loses $50-60 of his family's money in times of great stress. He doesn't want to, but it is a horrible addiction. And no matter what you say, family can not stop him. We have lives to live too, and can not keep dibs on his behaviour 24 / 7 / 365. Someone stated that the companies that have pokies limit easy access to money. The Casinos both have ATMs where you can get out as much money as you can to lose. This is wrong. They should not be in these venues.

I think the $1 cap on bets is a good idea, but still, when you are on a low income, losing $50 is a lot of money. I think it would be interesting to do a study on who are the main users of pokie machines. Is it mainly low or high income earners? And is the amount that they lose proportionate to their income?

Is it possible to somehow put a daily cap on bets – ie, I only want to lose a maximum of $30 today, and after that, I will be unable to use the machines? This limit could be set by the individual concerned. This would be the equivelent of bartenders being unable to serve people who were drunk.

I’ve had a family member adicted to the pokies. He ran though an inheritance quite quickly at the pokies. He is now on a centrelink income. Surely this money would have been better use spent elsewhere in the community? Sometimes he goes back to the casinos, and loses $50-60 of his family’s money in times of great stress. He doesn’t want to, but it is a horrible addiction. And no matter what you say, family can not stop him. We have lives to live too, and can not keep dibs on his behaviour 24 / 7 / 365.

]]> By: Kenneth http://michaelferguson.com/2009/03/pokies/comment-page-1/#comment-403 Kenneth Sat, 13 Feb 2010 11:49:46 +0000 http://michaelferguson.com/?p=131#comment-403 Bravo Michael ! I wish more politicians would have the honesty to actually have a position on this issue instead of the usual platitudes and waffle. I think Nick Xenophon in South Australia has shown that this is an issue which a lot of people feel very strongly about. What most annoys me is when "practical and realistic" politicians point out that they government can't afford to lose the revenue. But it isn't like these millions of dollars just disappear. Instead of going into pokies the money will be spent in other, more productive ways, all of which will flow into the local economy better than into the gambling companies and a trickle to government in direct tax. Bravo Michael ! I wish more politicians would have the honesty to actually have a position on this issue instead of the usual platitudes and waffle. I think Nick Xenophon in South Australia has shown that this is an issue which a lot of people feel very strongly about.

What most annoys me is when “practical and realistic” politicians point out that they government can’t afford to lose the revenue. But it isn’t like these millions of dollars just disappear. Instead of going into pokies the money will be spent in other, more productive ways, all of which will flow into the local economy better than into the gambling companies and a trickle to government in direct tax.

]]> By: Michael http://michaelferguson.com/2009/03/pokies/comment-page-1/#comment-402 Michael Sun, 07 Feb 2010 23:25:12 +0000 http://michaelferguson.com/?p=131#comment-402 I repeat my view: They [pokies] should be removed from small suburban venues where they prey on human weakness in secret atmospheres and certainly restricted to the two casinos. I repeat my view: They [pokies] should be removed from small suburban venues where they prey on human weakness in secret atmospheres and certainly restricted to the two casinos.

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