Dear James Packer: What about the dead Crown pokies player … ?
First published: 2011-10-31 05:50 AM
Tuesday:
SEPTEMBER POKIES LOSSES REVEALED
$17,722,702 Disappears as Liberal & Labor Continue to Let Federal Group Off the Hook
Kim Booth MP
Greens Gaming Spokesperson
Tuesday, 1 September, 2011
The Tasmanian Greens today said that Tasmanians collectively lost $17,722,704 on pokies in the month of September, yet another unacceptable hit to the community’s most vulnerable and which takes the toll for this year so far to $159, 475, 472.
Greens Gaming spokesperson Kim Booth MP said the Gaming Commission figures published on the Treasury and Finance Website cast shame on the Labor and Liberal parties for their indefensible decision to block the Greens’ bid last week to require casinos to contribute a percentage of their pokies take to the Community Support Levy (CSL).
“Tasmanians lost close to $18 million in September, much of that from problem gamblers, which is a shameful state of affairs given how many Tasmanians are already struggling to make ends meet,” Mr Booth said.
“That now takes the total of losses to a whopping $159.5 million lost on pokies over the nine months since January this year alone.”
“Last week the Greens brought on a motion that would have required casinos to contribute 4 per cent of their pokies profits to the Community Support Levy, in line with what pubs and clubs currently pay.”
“This measure would have potentially injected more than $3 million per year into Consolidated Revenue, but inexplicably the Labor and Liberals parties passed up this opportunity to provide assistance to the community’s most vulnerable.”
“This Greens’ proposal was an opportunity for the Liberals to show that they are serious about addressing the current Budget difficulties and for Labor to show that they are serious about minimising the damage done by poker machines.”
“Federal Hotels has profited massively from its exclusive pokies licence, and it is unacceptable for the company to continue to profit from misery without contributing more to reducing the harm created by its machines.”
Reference: Electronic Gaming Machine Expenditure by Rolling Year, Dept of Treasury and Finance
http://www.treasury.tas.gov.au/domino/dtf/dtf.nsf/6044ee0c1cf958a2ca256f2500108bba/cd36bfc11d136484ca2575e10006e703?OpenDocument
• Friday: Senator Bob Brown: Support grows for Greens’ pokies circuit breaker
Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown today welcomed growing support for the Greens’ $1 bet limit policy as an effective way to tackle problem gambling.
“The Greens’ bet limit option is good policy and we welcome the growing political shift towards our option, catching up with public opinion,” Senator Brown said in Canberra.
“Limiting poker machine bets to $1 and jackpots to $500 has drawn strong public support. It is simple, effective and much cheaper for clubs and casinos to implement.
“The industry is well-aware aware of the benefits of the policy and would be hard-pressed to justify a scare campaign. The NSW Gaming Industry Operations Group’s own report as long ago as 2001, from the University of Sydney, found it is a good way to tackle problem gambling,” Senator Brown said.
Here’s the link for audio from this morning’s doorstop where he answered questions about pokies:
http://bob-brown.greensmps.org.au/content/greencast/bob-brown-comments-qantas-hearing-pokies-coal-seam-gas
