Poker machines
Katherine COPSEY (Southern Metropolitan) (12:33): My question is for the minister for gaming. Minister, media reports say that the long-delayed carded play trial for poker machines will now not include mandatory precommitment. Players must use a card, but loss limits will be optional. Your own 21 July media release, Minister, states patrons will need to use a YourPlay card and ‘set loss limits’. If true, the new loopholes that you are introducing into this trial now almost guarantee low rates of uptake, and stakeholders tell us it will provide limited or even useless data in relation to setting limits. Minister, which stakeholders asked you to make this change? Will you table the advice, the correspondence and the meeting notes that have informed this backtrack?
Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice) (12:34): I reject the premise of the question and the assertion. I think the explanation in relation to that media release was quite clear from the media team and was reported. It was an error that was discovered quite quickly and rectified – self-prompted – in relation to that.
Sonja Terpstra interjected.
Enver ERDOGAN: So I do view that, to take the interjection from Ms Terpstra, as a bit of a cheap shot. I think we have been very clear that no government in the history of this state has done more to minimise gambling harm. That is why we have implemented closures for pubs and clubs from 4 am to 10 am. That is why we have slowed down the spin rates. That is why we have made sure that there are load-up limits, and from 1 December there will be load-up limits as low as $100 – rightfully so. We are committed to minimising gambling harm.
When we introduced that legislation, during debate I was asked about whether the trial would proceed, and I was quite clear: it would proceed, it would be robust. That is why we have carefully selected the three LGAs that are LGAs that reflect the demographic feel of this state in many regards – Ballarat, Monash and Dandenong, which are quite diverse parts of our city and state – and that is why we have got 43 venues signed up to do this trial. The trial was always going to have a phased approach to implementation, and we always said we would work with industry and the sector to make sure it can be implemented in a safe and sensible way. Even during the debate I was clear it would be carded play. This is the first of its kind. We are the only state that has the option of account or carded plays across all electronic gaming machines in our state. This will mean that it will be compulsory for people to actually use the card. They will be able to set their own limits if they choose to do so. It is always about handing power back, and that is what will be done. I think there has been a lot of misinformation going on during this debate, but I was very clear in the parliamentary debate. I would welcome, Ms Copsey, you to look over the Hansard records. My statements would reflect that – that the first trial is about mandatory carded play.
Katherine COPSEY (Southern Metropolitan) (12:36): Wow. Minister, Victoria has just recorded another all-time record poker machine loss figure, with $13.4 billion sucked out of communities and $14.1 billion in wider costs to the community. The vast majority of these losses are in lower socioeconomic LGAs, and just about all of those districts are represented in the other place by Labor MPs, I will have you know. Given Crown Melbourne has already operated mandatory precommitment since late 2023 and your own regulator has just censured Crown for breaches of those mandatory limits, your initial pretence of needing to run a diluted trial at pubs and clubs has always been very flimsy. There is a proven mandatory precommitment system already in Victoria. Minister, will you do right by the citizens of Victoria and simply set a clear date for statewide implementation of mandatory precommitment?
Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice) (12:37): I thank Ms Copsey for the supplementary. I think I was clear in my answer to the substantive question: the trial will take place, it is starting next month and we are going to have a robust evaluation following that process. I do acknowledge that it is estimated that 300,000 Victorians experience harm because of gambling each year, costing Victoria $7 billion annually. That is why we have already got runs on the board. That is why we have got the closure period from 4 am to 10 am, that is why we have slowed down spin rates and that is why we have capped load-ups to $100 from 1 December. We are doing this work. No other state is doing it; we are leading that work. The trial will go ahead. It is going to give us important information around the technology and about the take-up of the harm minimisation measures. It is about having the right guardrails in place.