The Independent Member for Denison, Andrew Wilkie, said Clubs Australia had cooked the books in its latest attempt to mislead the community over the Government’s proposed poker machine reforms.
“Clubs Australia has shot itself in the foot in its desperate effort to discredit these reforms the Productivity Commission recommended to reduce problem gambling on pokies,’’ Mr Wilkie said.
“The research it’s relying on to claim that the rate of problem gambling increased in Norway following the introduction of mandatory pre-commitment in 2009 actually concluded the exact opposite.’’
The Synovate research included in the Norwegian gaming manufacturer Norsk Tipping 2010 annual report “concluded that there appears to be a general decline in the proportion of Norwegians with a gaming problem….’’
The report said: “The 2010 poll identified a significant rise in the number of players without problems compared with the 2008 survey (up by 1.8 percentage points, or about 165,000 people).’’
Mr Wilkie said that today’s outrageous claims by the pokies industry is another example of the industry resorting to lies in a desperate attempt to hold on to the $5 billion it harvests each year from problem gamblers.
“Comparing the system in Norway to the proposed system in Australia is like comparing apples with oranges,’’ Mr Wilkie.
“But even if you applied Club’s dishonest misrepresentation and the Norwegian experience was repeated here, this research shows there would be a decline in the number of problem gamblers in Australia.’’
Mr Wilkie said Clubs Australia continued to ignore that the Government’s proposed reforms would also introduce low intensity machines with maximum $1 bets that could be operated outside of the mandatory pre-commitment scheme.
“In Australia, 88 per cent of players don’t bet more than a dollar a spin so won’t need a card to play the pokies,’’ Mr Wilkie said.
** Please find the relevant section of the Norsk Tipping report attached **
Download:
Annual_and_Social_Report_2010_pdf_(2).pdf
• Andrew Wilkie presents the inaugural Tasmanian Times Lecture
• Charles Waterhouse, Mercury: Pokies’ $62m city profits
POKER machines take about $175,000 in profits a day in the city of Hobart — or about $62 million a year.
The city, with a population of about 50,000, has almost 2 1/2 times the maximum safe level of poker machines, a report to Hobart City Council says.
The report says Hobart has 23 poker machines for every 1000 adults.
Gambling researcher Professor Paul Delfabbro, from Adelaide University, says 10 pokies to each 1000 adults is the maximum safe level.
The staff report, to be considered by council’s community development committee today, proposes various actions, including:
• Information on the gambling issue and support services be developed for the social issues page on council’s website.
• Hobart Lord Mayor Rob Valentine writing to Premier Lara Giddings encouraging the State Government to maintain its position on gambling reform.
• A similar letter be sent to Denison MHR Andrew Wilkie commending him for his leadership on gambling reform.
The report was called for by the council in June to consider the negative impacts of poker machines on the community, including problem gambling and crime, addiction, social and family breakdowns and what actions the council may take to reduce harm.
In comparison with Hobart’s 23 poker machines for each 1000 adults, Glenorchy has about six machines for each 1000 adults, Launceston five and Clarence four.
The report says the profit from poker machines in Tasmania was $215,731,708 (after payment of winnings) in the 2010-2011 financial year.
That was an average of almost $18 million a month.
Seven venues in the city of Hobart had a total of 886 poker machines, including 737 at Wrest Point Casino nearly a quarter of all poker machines operating in the state.
The report said the Tasmanian Social and Economic Impact Study done by the Adelaide University for the Tasmanian Gaming Commission found 29 per cent of Tasmanians indicated they used poker machines most less than once a month.
A Productivity Commission survey of gamblers indicated 42 per cent of income from poker machines came from problem gamblers.
An inquiry by the commission last year said ” … there is a link between accessibility and gambling harms”
• First punblished: 2011-09-14 12:05 PM
• Kim Booth MP Greens Gaming Spokesperson: Local Government candidates can help push pokies reform
The Tasmanian Greens are calling all candidates in the upcoming local government elections to clearly spell out their position on the rollback of poker machines from pubs and clubs.
Greens Gaming spokesperson Kim Booth MP today congratulated Hobart Greens alderman Helen Burnet for highlighting the unacceptable ratio of gaming machines to population in the Hobart municipality.
“It’s really pleasing to see local council representatives taking a stand on this issue, and I hope it sets and example for councillors and aldermen in all other municipalities,” Mr Booth said.
“This is an issue of enormous community concern, and it’s incumbent upon all candidates for the October local government elections to make their views known so ratepayers can cast their votes accordingly.”
“Unfortunately poker machine venues are not subject to local government planning regulations, so councils are severely restricted in their ability to limit the harm from pokies.”
“However local councillors and aldermen can help send a strong message to the Gaming Minister Bryan Green about the harm pokies are creating in local communities, particularly in low socioeconomic areas where the density of machines tends to be far higher.”
“It’s shameful and disgraceful that the Tasmanians have collectively lost about a quarter of a billion dollars to poker machines in the past year alone, and rate doesn’t appear to be slowing.”
