Heart-wrenching stories of addiction. Stand up to pokie barons

Mercury: Ex-addict tells of pokie hell. Pic, first used here. Please tell TT who took the pic so we can credit it.

The Tasmanian Greens said that distressing stories told by former gambling addicts at today’s Parliamentary Select Committee into $1 poker machine bet limits would remind the Labor and Liberal parties that pokie reform is not about minimising the financial impact to pokie barons but about stopping the negative impact on the Tasmanian families.

Greens Gaming spokesperson, and Chair of the Committee, Kim Booth MP said the hearing was the first time that the Parliament had heard directly from those who had suffered, and brought suffering to others, because of a gambling habit.

“I refuse to believe that Labor and Liberal MPs around the table couldn’t have been moved by the distressing stories that were shared by some very courageous individuals who have learned the hard way what poker machines do,” Mr Booth said.

“The Greens can’t say how much we appreciate these people having the courage to come forward and to talk about their addiction, in the hope that others won’t have to go through the same ordeal.”

“We heard evidence of families who’d lost loved ones to suicide, of time spent in prison because of crimes committed to feed an addiction and of children going to bed without meals because there was only a salt and pepper shaker on the table.”

“These are stories of family destruction, community destruction and loss of productivity right across the economy.”

“Pokies shouldn’t be out in the community at all, but because of the Liberal and Labor parties’ refusal to stand up to the poker machine industry, the Greens are trying get support for a harm minimisation approach as steps toward a total rollback.”

“Labor and Liberal need to wake up to the seriousness of the problem and back the Greens’ push for a state-based $1 bet limit on poker machines.”

“It is not good enough for state Labor and Liberal to stand by and say they are waiting for the Federal Government to deal with the problem, while Tasmanians lose more than half a million dollars every day to these addictive machines,” Mr Booth said.

• TIME FOR LIBERAL & LABOR TO STAND UP TO POKIE BARONS

The Tasmanian Greens today renewed calls for the Labor and Liberal parties to support a $1 per spin bet limit on poker machines, in light of the distressing evidence presented a Parliamentary Committee hearing.

Greens Gaming spokesperson Kim Booth MP said that the stories shared by former gambling addicts at yesterday’s Parliamentary Select Committee hearings into $1 poker machine bet limits were heart rending, and should have shocked Labor and Liberal MPs into finally taking action.

“The Committee heard terrible stories of family destruction and community destruction caused by gambling addiction, which is a problem we can actually do something about.”

“Tasmanians lose nearly $20 million a month, much of which is money that comes directly out of family budgets for food, clothing and school expenses.”

“Sadly the Liberals have backed away from their previous support for a $1 bet limit, which is disappointing for the thousands of Tasmanians whose lives have been wrecked by pokies addiction.”

“It begs the question of whether Labor and Liberal would be more willing to do something about pokies harm minimisation if their financial donor, Federal Hotels, wasn’t so strongly opposed to a bet limit trial, or political donations from gaming corporations being banned as they are in NSW.”

“Tasmania could take an honourable lead on the issue, if only the Labor and Liberal parties were prepared to stand up to the pokie barons.”