Tuesday, 1 August 2023

Gambling regulation

Katherine COPSEY (Southern Metropolitan) (15:06): I am speaking today on the long overdue and very welcome poker machine reforms announced in July, including venue closures from 4 am to 10 am, cards with set loss limits of no more than $100 loaded at a time and reducing spin rates on new poker machines.

After those reforms were announced experts gave clear evidence at the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee inquiry on gambling, which is on at the moment, that it is crucial to set loss and time limits daily, weekly and annually. The maximum default limit should be $100 per day, $500 per week and $5000 per year to limit gambling harm. This is the system which Tasmania has introduced with bipartisan support, and it will limit the amount of gambling harm in that state. Victoria’s announcement specified only a load-up limit set to $100. If someone gambles $100 per day every day, the annual harm would exceed $36,000 per year, which is why losses need to be set at a maximum of $5000 per year in order to limit gambling harm. But of course the harmful gambling industry wants consumers to continue to lose more.

The Premier in his media release said that the reforms will be introduced only subject to thorough consultation with industry through an implementation working group. I would encourage the Premier and the Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation to break the cycle of undue harmful gambling industry influence by ensuring that the working group includes sector experts, gambling harm and public health research experts and advocates with lived experience of gambling harm, because their voice at the table is just as important as if not more than that of the industry that has profited from their extended misery.