Casino pokie losses grow

The Tasmanian Greens today said that new figures on gambling losses in Tasmania created an unassailable case for requiring Federal Hotels to contribute to the Community Support Levy, as pubs and clubs are already required to do.

Greens Gaming spokesperson Kim Booth MP said the Gaming Commission’s 2010-11 Annual Report showed that player expenditure at Federal Hotels’ casinos increased by more than $1 million from the previous year, while losses at pubs and clubs fell by about the same amount. [1]

Mr Booth also said that given the question mark now over the pokies pre-commitment deal between Andrew Wilkie and Julia Gillard the state should be taking action.

“Pubs and clubs are already required to contribute 4% of their pokies profits into the Community Support Levy, which delivered nearly $7 million into harm minimisation, charitable and other services last financial year,” Mr Booth said.

“Federal Hotels holds the lucrative monopoly pokies licence in Tasmania and it’s getting off scot-free.”

“There is simply no justification for allowing Federal Hotels to dodge paying the Community Support Levy while its pokies revenue is increasing, and while other gaming venues that do pay the levy are losing revenue.”

“Unfortunately when Labor and the Liberals had the opportunity to vote on a Greens motion to implement this measure last month, they instead chose to side with big business at the expense of the community’s most vulnerable.”

“With the tough budget challenges facing many in the community, this proposal would inject an additional $3 million to $4 million each year to assist the health, charitable and sporting programs.”

“Federal Hotels’ sweetheart monopoly deal has resulted in literally billions of dollars of hard-earned cash being sucked out of the community via the pokies, and the least this company could be asked to do is pay a fraction of it back into the community.”

“The Greens will continue to push for this measure, along with pre-commitment and $1 bet limits, as interim steps toward a full ban on all poker machines from Tasmania.”

[1] Tasmanian Gaming Commission 2010-11 Annual Report, p. 16.