Government Media Release: Tackling problem gambling in Australia

The Australian Government today took another step forward in its efforts to address problem gambling in Australia.

The Government is concerned that the promotion of live odds during sports coverage can significantly influence vulnerable people, particularly young people, and normalise negative gambling behaviour.

That’s why the Government will work with the sporting and betting industries to reduce and control the promotion of live odds during sports coverage through amendments to their existing industry codes.

If satisfactory amendments are not in place by the end of June 2012, the Australian Government will consider the need for legislation, noting that the measures would not apply to pre-existing contracts for the promotion of live odds during sports coverage as of 1am today.

The Government will also undertake a review of the operation of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, including examining how harm minimisation measures can be improved for online gambling services.

The Australian Government will consult widely with key stakeholders, states and territories, and the broader community in undertaking the review. Terms of Reference for the review will be announced shortly.

These moves are in addition to the progress made at the Council of Australian Government’s Select Council on Gambling Reform today on pre-commitment.

Ministers agreed to support the required infrastructure for pre-commitment technology in all jurisdictions, to be available to all players in all venues.

The Australian Government supports a full pre-commitment scheme starting in 2014, with small venues (gambling venues with 15 or less machines) to have an additional four years to implement the changes.

Our preference remains for the states and territories to deliver these changes and we will continue discussions with the states and territories, through the Select Council, over the next year.

The Government will also begin work on Commonwealth legislation, as agreed with the Independent Member for Denison, Andrew Wilkie.

We know that problem gambling destroys Australian families and ruins lives.

Bringing in these changes is no easy task but it is necessary if we are to provide the duty of care we owe thousands of individuals and families whose lives are being ruined by problem gambling.

Media release originally issued on the 27 May 2011 by the Hon Jenny Macklin MP, Minister for Familes, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs

Further reading

• Media Release: MA joins campaign to advance poker machine reform
• Getup: Petition for Pokie Reform
• Yesterday's news: Rise in betting on the net a concern
• All gambling related stories from MA
  

Media Release: MA joins campaign to advance poker machine reform

Mission Australia has thrown its support behind a campaign, jointly launched by Independent Tasmanian MP, Andrew Wilkie, and advocacy group, GetUp, to combat attempts to undermine the Federal Government’s planned poker machine reforms.

Clubs Australia recently announced it would spend $20 million on an advertising campaign to have the reforms – announced in an agreement between Wilkie and Prime Minister Julia Gillard in September 2010 – reversed.

The reforms include implementing a $250 daily withdrawal limit for ATMs in venues with poker machines, mandatory pre-commitment betting limits, and support for dynamic warning and ‘cost of play’ displays on machines.

The Wilkie/GetUp campaign seeks to sign up 100,000 names via a petition in support of the reforms. It is designed to combat any success Clubs Australia’s advertising might have in convincing government to reverse or water down its plans.

Mission Australia’s CEO, Toby Hall, said he had written a message to the organisation’s 3,500 staff nationally encouraging them to sign the petition.

“Every year Mission Australia helps more than 300,000 people facing various challenges in their lives – homelessness, addiction, family conflict, mental illness, long-term unemployment,” said Mr Hall.

“I can’t tell you how many people we see who are in one of those situations, or have had their lives and the lives of their families destroyed, as a result of problem gambling.

“It’s too late to get the genie back into the bottle – Australia made a mistake long ago in allowing the expansion of poker machines in almost every state and territory. But what we can do is a far more effective job at combating problem gambling – most of which occurs via poker machines.

“The research is in: problem gambling is out of control in Australia. The Productivity Commission’s independent report recommending measures to tackle the issue are balanced, sensible and should be pursued.

“That’s why I wrote to Mission Australia’s 3,500 staff today to encourage them to sign the Wilkie/GetUp petition.

“Our staff see the tragedy of problem gambling day in and day out. Their efforts help hundreds of problem gamblers back on their feet. I believed this was another way they could make a contribution and I expect the majority to take up the opportunity.

“We all need to do our bit to let the government know we support its plans and to head off any changes,” said Mr Hall.


Further reading

•  Getup: Petition for Pokie Reform
•  Yesterday's news: Rise in betting on the net a concern
• All gambling related stories from MA 

MA supporters favour practical measures in dealing with problem gambling - Online Poll

Since the release of the Productivity Commission's Report into Gambling we can now identify that approximately 100,000 'problem gamblers' are providing around 40 per cent of all poker machine revenue in Australia - a deeply concerning fact when considering the wider implications on gamblers, their families and friends.

Since June we have been polling MA supporters on our Homepage, asking:

"In dealing with problem gambling, which of these strategies do you agree with most?"

The response options were the Productivity Commission recommendations deemed 'most urgent' by our CEO.

It's interesting to see that supporters strongly favour practical measures, similar to the strategies used to deal with binge drinking (click image to enlarge):

As reported by SMH in June:

"The Productivity Commission estimated that about 600,000 Australians - or 4 per cent of the population - play the games at least once a week. About 15 per cent of those players, or 100,000 people, are considered "problem gamblers", the report said. They account for about 40 per cent of total spending on the machines."

With statistics like these our CEO Toby Hall has called on State and Federal Governments to swiftly implement the recommendations of the Report.

Click here and have your say today!

Media Release: Action needed to reduce problem gambling

Mission Australia, one of the nations leading community service charities, has called on the State and Federal Governments to swiftly implement the recommendations of the Productivity Commission's Report into Gambling released on Wednesday, to reduce the impact of problem gambling on Australians.

“Mission Australia sees the human face of problem gambling in our services every single day,” said Toby Hall, Mission Australia CEO.

“Problem gambling causes not only financial crisis and bankruptcy, it contributes to family and relationship breakdown, homelessness, depression and even suicide.

“We would like to see practical measures like $1 bet limits on poker machines and mandatory shutdown times in gaming venues quickly put in place. This will help reduce the number of people with a gambling problem and reduce the impact on those already struggling to cope with their addiction.

“We urge governments at all levels to implement the Productivity Commission recommendations to reduce problem gambling as soon as practically possible.”

Mr Hall welcomed the news that the federal government has indicated it will support further harm minimisation programs for poker machines, but said it was disappointing there has been no commitment or time frame to implement the recommendations.

With poker machines accounting for 75-80 percent of problem gamblers, the Commission was right focus on further restrictions on poker machines, Mr Hall said.

“Poker machines are far and away the most prolific form of gambling by the clients of our gambling counselling services,” said Mr Hall

“We can not tackle problem gambling without looking at further restrictions on poker machines.”

“According to the Commission’s own figures, around 40 percent of the revenue from poker machines comes directly from problem gamblers.

“We can not continue to base such a large chunk of a sector’s revenue on taking money from people with an addiction”.

Mr Hall said that the measures outlined in the report that should be quickly implemented include:

• Lowering bet limits on poker machines to one dollar per button push (equating to losses of around $120 an hour as opposed to the current level of up to $1500) as well as setting limits on how much can be put in a machine at any one time. 
• Mandatory shutdown times for gaming rooms in hotels and clubs, as there is ample evidence that this is when high-risk gamblers are more likely to gamble and they are also often likely to be under the influence of alcohol.
• Removing ATMs from gaming areas. This is regularly cited by problem gamblers as something which would assist them to manage their gambling as it forces them to take a time out and leave the area. This is already being put in place in some jurisdictions.
• Additional funding for further gambling counselling services and improved training and education for counsellors.

Media contact:  Patrick Flynn ph. 0407 411 256