As Australians are now battling to fight the pokies out of every club or pub, the ground realities are different. Recent new research showed that Australia’s Capital city, Canberra, is lagging in gambling laws. Though Canberrans are considered as one of the most progressive communities in Australia in the social aspect, it has lots of grey areas, especially when it comes to implementing gambling laws. Let’s find out what some of Canberra’s most lax rules are for pokies.
Canberra is comparatively weak on gambling legislation. While pokies or electronic gaming machines are legal, they can cause significant harm, and not much is done to make them less harmful.
Research commissioned by the Canberra Gambling Reform Alliance (CGRA), a local group of organizations and community advocates concerned about gambling laws in the Australian capital, aims to bring a community voice into a discussion generally dominated by the gambling industry. In their research, they found that strong consumer protections are being implemented in other parts of Australia and in New Zealand but not much is being done in Canberra. The analysis found that it had some of the weakest rules in Australia across a range of parameters.
Comparison of the Rules of Poker Machines Across a Range of Jurisdictions
1. Canberra
- The maximum amount one can bet per spin on pokies is $10.
- The largest amount of money that can be loaded as credits at any one time on a pokie machine has no standard fixed.
- The same goes for the maximum amount one can win as a prize or jackpot, without any fixed standard.
- There is no fixed duration of time you can spend on poker machines, which means no stop at all for problem gamblers.
- In Canberra, the minimum % of money pokies will return (payback) to players is 87%.
2. New South Wales
- The maximum amount one can bet per spin on pokies is $10.
- The largest amount of money that can loaded as credits at any one time on a pokie machine is $7500.
- The biggest amount one can win as a prize or jackpot is $10000.
- You have a fixed time to spend on pokie machines.
- The minimum percentage of money a pokies will return (payback) to players is 85% in NSW.
3. Victoria
- The maximum amount one can bet per spin on pokies is $5.
- The maximum amount of money that can be loaded as credits on a pokie machine at any time is $1000.
- The largest amount one can win as a prize or jackpot is $10000.
- There is a fixed duration of time you can spend on pokies machines.
- The minimum percentage of money a pokies will return (payback) to players is 85% in Victoria.
4. Queensland
- The largest amount one can bet per spin on pokies is $5.
- The maximum amount of money that can be loaded as credits on a pokie machine at any one time is $100.
- The largest amount one can win as a prize or jackpot is not set.
- You have a fixed duration of time you can spend on pokies machines.
- The minimum percentage of money a pokies will return (payback) to players is 85% in Qld.
5. South Australia
- The biggest amount one can bet on pokies per spin is $5.
- A coin can hold the most money as credits at any one time on a pokie machine.
- The biggest amount one can win as a prize or jackpot is $10000
- You can spend a set duration of time on pokies machines
- The minimum percentage of money a pokies will return (payback) to players is 87.5% in SA
6. Tasmania
- The biggest amount one can bet on pokies per spin is $5.
- The maximum amount of money that can be loaded as credits on a pokie machine at any time is a coin.
- The largest amount one can win as a prize or jackpot is $10000
- You can spend a set duration of time on pokies machines
- The minimum percentage of money a pokies will return (payback) to players is 85% in Tas.
7. New Zealand
- The biggest amount one can bet on pokies per spin is $2.50.
- The maximum amount of money that can loaded as credits at any one time on a pokie machine is $5979.
- The largest amount one can win as a prize or jackpot is $500.
- You can spend a set duration of time on pokies machines.
- The minimum percentage of money a pokies will return (payback) to players is 78% in NZ.
What should Canberra do to stop problem gambling?
Canberra gambling laws should limit the amount of money lost as a result of poker machine gambling. Only Canberra and NSW still allow $10 bet limits. This level of intensity means that people can lose over $1000 an hour. Most other states have dropped the limit to $5, and New Zealand has a limit of $2.50. The Australian Productivity Commission Inquiry into the issue 2010 suggested bet limits of $2 or under would make the most difference.
Another way to make poker machines less harmful is by tweaking software settings. Unlike many other jurisdictions, Canberra still allows losses that appear as wins. This deceptive feature tricks your brain into thinking you have won, despite losing money on that spin. In Canberra, you also have no limit on how much cash you can load into a machine in one go.
The research also found Canberra has the second-highest concentration of pokies per head of population in Australia. Around one in eight people has a negative impact of gambling harm either directly or indirectly.
Canberra Government has Strengthen Gambling Laws.
Now, the Canberra Government has been setting its intention to strengthen gambling laws. The ACT Gambling and Racing Commission has articulated support for a public health approach to gambling harm.
Dr. Charles Livingston, one of Australia’s foremost gambling researchers, prepares the laws from Monash University’s Gambling & Social Determinants Unit of the School of Public Health. The report was funded by CGRA members Anglicare NSW South and ACT, the ACT Council of Social Service, and Belconnen Community Services.
Remember, if you or your friend or anyone known is suffering from pokies addiction, then there are Gambling Counselling and Support Services, and you can contact them on the toll-free number 1800 858 858.
