Kim Booth
“It is utterly unconscionable for the Bartlett Labor government to stand by and watch Tasmanians lose almost $55 million on pokies over a three month period.”

TASMANIANS LOSE $19 MILLION ON POKIES IN MARCH ALONE
Almost $55 Million Total Lost Since January
Kim Booth MP
Greens Gaming spokesperson
Thursday, 30 April 2009

www.tas.greens.org.au
The Tasmanian Greens today described as a shocking indictment on the Bartlett Labor government the latest figures released by the Tasmanian Gaming Commission detailing $19, 062, 147 million lost on pokies around the state during March alone, taking the total to almost $55 million since January.

Greens Gaming spokesperson Kim Booth MP said that this figure is up over $2.5 million from the February loss figures, and is an increase of $1 million from the March monthly loss figure of 2008 which again indicates that the second round of the federal stimulus package is going the same way as the initial December payment.

“From January this year to the end of March Tasmanians have lost a whopping $54, 771, 120.00, with the losses from last month being an increase of $2.5 million from February’s losses,” Mr Booth said.

“It is utterly unconscionable for the Bartlett Labor government to stand by and watch Tasmanians lose almost $55 million on pokies over a three month period.”

“Treasurer Aird must act on the Gaming Commission’s report on the independent social and economic impact study’s findings, and immediately start to remove pokies from pubs and clubs in the community.”

“No sweetheart deal with Federal Hotels can possibly be worth the economic and social pain that these pokies are having on Tasmanians doing it hard.”

“It was only yesterday that we heard from TasCOSS the difficulties people on low incomes are experiencing, it has been acknowledged that there is a concentration of pokies in areas where people are doing it hard, and one of the easiest ways to improve this situation is to remove these destructive machines now.”

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Link:http://www.treasury.tas.gov.au/domino/dtf/dtf.nsf/alls-v/E768873632E0B3B5CA2575A1000E2F6C

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TASMANIANS CONTINUE TO LOSE MILLIONS WHILE AIRD DISSEMBLES
Kim Booth MP
Greens Gaming Spokesperson
Friday, 1 May 2009

www.tas.greens.org.au
The Tasmanian Greens today called on Treasurer Michael Aird to act on the Tasmanian Gaming Commission’s (TGC) recent report into the SACES social and economic impact study [i], regarding the damage being done to the Tasmanian community by poker machines, and to begin to roll-back pokies from Tasmanian pubs and clubs.

Greens Gaming spokesperson Kim Booth MP said yesterday’s revelation that Tasmanians lost $19 million on pokies during the month of March, up from the $16.5 million loss in February, provides stark evidence of the damage being wrought on communities across the state.

Mr Booth also said that the recent TGC report confirmed that it is in fact possible to roll-back pokies from pubs and clubs across Tasmania, despite Treasurer Aird’s repeated claims to the contrary, through a simple amendment to the monopoly pokies Deed of Agreement with Federal Hotels.

“These machines have already stripped about $55 million out of the Tasmanian community since January, with the Bartlett Government set to receive about one third of that amount as their tax cut, and Treasurer Aird stands condemned for failing to heed the policy responses contained in the recent TGC report,” said Mr Booth.

“To put these losses in context, the equivalent of about 155 good quality homes (worth $350,000 each) have effectively been lost by Tasmanians in the last three months via poker machines.”

“The Treasurer’s claim that the Deed of Agreement cannot be altered is a complete falsehood – he can roll the pokies back out the pubs and clubs if he cares to, but for his own reasons he is failing to do so and misleading the public about the reason why.”

“The TGC has actually set out the method by which these insidious machines can be rolled back – via a simple amendment to the Deed – and I am calling on the Treasurer to acknowledge the huge financial losses that are occurring across the state, and begin the process of removing pokies from our pubs and clubs,” said Mr Booth.

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Reference:

[i] Tasmanian Gaming Commission, “Report on the Social and Economic Impact Study into Gambling in Tasmania,” Released 11 December 2008, http://www.treasury.tas.gov.au/domino/dtf/dtf.nsf/6044ee0c1cf958a2ca256f2500108bba/019422a0fdab5832ca25748e00810386?OpenDocument

South Australian Centre for Economic Studies, “Social and Economic Impact Study into Gambling in Tasmania,” Published 22 July 2008, http://www.treasury.tas.gov.au/domino/dtf/dtf.nsf/6044ee0c1cf958a2ca256f2500108bba/019422a0fdab5832ca25748e00810386?OpenDocument