Gambling regulation
Ryan BATCHELOR (Southern Metropolitan) (17:56): (348) My adjournment is for the Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, and I am seeking an update on the recently announced gaming reforms, particularly as they will apply to gaming venues in my electorate of Southern Metropolitan Region. Australia’s strongest gambling harm reforms are happening right here, right now in Victoria. An estimated 300,000 Victorians experience harm as a result of gambling each year, leading to significant financial distress, mental health concerns and relationship issues. Harm minimisation is a key part of addressing gambling-related harm, and that is exactly what the Andrews Labor government are doing with our recently announced gambling reforms. Under this reform package all electronic gaming machines will require mandatory carded play and patrons will have to precommit to set the amount for their loss limits. This will also ensure that money in these venues is tracked, stopping the practice of money laundering through our gaming venues. We are going to limit how much can be inserted into a machine, taking it from $1000 to $100 at a time. This will support people who use electronic gaming machines to make informed decisions about their spending and reduce the amount that can be lost.
We know that some venues are taking advantage of the current rules to stagger their opening hours to provide 24-hour access to gambling in venues right across our suburbs. That is causing untold harm and damage to too many vulnerable members of our community, so we are going to act to stop this practice, making it compulsory for all pubs and clubs to close their gaming machine areas between 4 am and 10 am by mid-2024.
The government is also making it mandatory for all new gaming machines to spin at a rate of 3 seconds per game, slowing the pace of gaming and further limiting the amount that can be lost. Limiting losses is an important part of this harm minimisation strategy. It is very important in my part of the world. We know in the City of Glen Eira, for example, there are more than 650 poker machines and members of the community lost more than $70 million on these machines in the last financial year. These reforms we have announced are going to reduce these losses. The approach is based on the evidence and centred on people who are suffering from gambling-related harms, and we know that these changes will help them.