On Track for Total Loss of $220M during 2009

The Tasmanian Greens today called on the Bartlett Government and Treasurer Michael Aird to acknowledge the damage that poker machines are doing to the Tasmanian economy and society after the Tasmanian Gaming Commission (TGC) today revealed that Tasmanians lost $19, 018, 855 on pokies during the month of August.

Greens Gaming spokesperson Kim Booth MP said Tasmanians have lost an enormous $147, 909, 399 on poker machines so far in 2009 alone, and that money has now been forever removed from the pockets of Tasmanian families, and subsequently from the cash registers of their local businesses.

Mr Booth also said that poker machine addiction is causing huge social disruption in Tasmania, with law courts regularly prosecuting fraudulent behaviour caused by the addiction, and family courts regularly dealing with the fall-out and family break-downs that also result from addiction to these insidious machines.

“Losing over $19 million in just one month, as these August figures reveal, is an awful indictment on the Bartlett Government which just doesn’t seem to care about the ramifications of its own poker machine addiction,” Mr Booth said.

“This takes the total amount lost on pokies for 2009 alone the whopping amount of $147, 909 399.”

“The Bartlett Government is well aware of the damage that is done to Tasmanians and their families by poker machine addiction, but they are more interested in the revenue that these machines generate than the hurt and pain that they are causing Tasmanians.”

“If the current pokies loss rate continues, Tasmania will be looking at a loss of over $220 million for the 2009 year. That is $220 million which should have been spent paying for roofs over heads, food, electricity, clothing, and education for the family, but which is instead being lost to the community forever.”

“Just how many more social club treasurers, small business secretaries, trusted public servants, mothers, fathers, brothers, or sisters, must be jailed as a result of fraud committed to feed their poker machine addictions, before the Bartlett Government will finally acknowledge the huge damage these machines are causing and begin to roll them back out of our suburban pubs and clubs?,” said Mr Booth.
Kim Booth MP Greens Gaming Spokesperson