www.tas.greens.org.au
The Tasmanian Greens today revealed that Tasmanians lost $17,614,674 on poker machines during the month of November 2009, taking the total Tasmanian losses on poker machines in 2009 to more than $200 million, with the loss figure from December still to come.
Greens Gaming spokesperson Kim Booth MP said Tasmania cannot afford the huge amounts of money being siphoned out of families’ pockets by poker machines, and again called on the Bartlett Government to implement a $1 per bet limit on pokies to reduce loss rates, and to remove pokies from the suburban pubs and clubs where they are inflicting serious economic and social harm.
“The latest figures reveal that Tasmanians lost more than $17 million on pokies during November 2009, which has now taken Tasmanian losses on poker machines to $202,382,939 for 2009, with the loss figure from December yet to be revealed,” Mr Booth said.
“Tasmania is facing the appalling reality of losing over $220 million in 2009 to the scourge of pokies and Labor needs to do more than just fiddle around the edges of the problem, as it did with last year’s Gaming Control Amendment Act (2009), it needs to take some real action by reducing loss rates and removing pokies from Tasmania’s pubs and clubs.”
The Tasmanian Gaming Commission releases the monthly pokies loss figures in arrears. Thus the December 2009 losses will be released at the end of January this year.
Treasury and Finance website reference:
http://www.treasury.tas.gov.au/domino/dtf/dtf.nsf/alls-v/CD36BFC11D136484CA2575E10006E703
Kim Booth MP Greens Gaming spokesperson
